Secrets No Longer
by Shadowgeist1204
Summary: Star has rebuilt her life, made some new friends, and been dragged into the war between Astral and Barian World; as a Phantom, she wants to stop it. Star will have to risk her place with Yuma and the crew, but she'll do anything and everything she can to end this war of worlds. Nocturneshipping is main OC pairing. *I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal; just my OC.
1. First Things First

You guys would be pretty confused in this story if you didn't read the first story before. This is the sequel, and any new readers should read the first story: Last of My Kind.  
If you already read the first one, you're good to go for this one! I hope you enjoy it!


	2. The Hunt Began

(Star dreaming) _Quinton and Kite were dueling a mosquito-like Barian - whose name appeared to be Scritch. Yuma was standing in a sort of portal-related machine to which Orbital was hooked up, with Tori not far away. With the way that Kite was acting and dueling, something was definitely amiss. From his mind, he was dueling against Scritch; in real life, he was fighting Quinton. Scritch had stung Kite prior to the duel with hallucinogenic poison. Said poison was making him unable to distinguish his friend and former mentor from his foe with the tiny Number._

 _Something was moving in the shadows not far from the duel. It was me, stalking closer and closer to Scritch. I telepathically told Quinton I wasn't far away, yet he had to pretend I wasn't there. I was out of Kite's blurring line of sight, so he couldn't assume I was attacking Quinton. I crawled to just behind the humanoid mosquito. My arm was raised with my nails out, ready to claw through Scritch's wings. Power surged through my hand, coating it in shadow and sharpening my nails. I swung down at him and -_

* * *

(Star) A strange zap-like sensation going through my body jolted me awake. I thought I had overslept, when I remembered I came up to the water tower a few hours before HLA school hours started. I had a bad nightmare of my parent both being shot, so I came to stargaze a little. I guess I fell asleep while I was looking up at the stars. I definitely remember seeing Nayuta getting Shadow's food ready, so I didn't need to worry about my cat. It's been a month since the situation with Vector in Sargasso, and the only thing abnormal for me has been all these nightmares that have been happening ever since.

During their lunch period, Yuma, Shark, Tori, and Rio joined me on the tower platform. All but Tori told me that they sensed something weird earlier this morning; I told them the same. Rio kept her sixth sense on the lookout for whatever caused the disturbance.

"Do you sense anything Rio?" Shark inquired after a few minutes of her standing there with her eyes closed.

"Not so far," his twin replied. "I'm sure I felt a disturbance before, but I can't sense it now."

"Meaning we came up here and skipped lunch for nothing," Yuma pouted.

"Quit griping or we'll skip dinner, too!" the ice duelist snapped. Yuma jumped and went down to Rio's feet on his knees, bowing his head in apology.

"No, not dinner; I'm sorry!" he begged. Tori and I sweatdropped at his begging.

"It's strange that you all sensed it at the same time," Tori observed. "Don't you think?" I nodded.

"Yeah; whatever caused it is something big, bad, and maybe Barian," I replied. Tori was about to add to that when a gust of wind came up from the gathering clouds above. We all stood up, looking at the looming shadow as a familiar beam teleported us to... the airship.

"Next time you bring us to your airship, how about a heads-up?" Yuma suggested as he looked at Astral. He apologized, but the matter seemed urgent. A map of the planet appeared with red dots in specific locations. There were ancient ruins at each location, and seven Numbers hidden in them, along with a hidden message. A hologram of Yuma's father, Kazuma, appeared in the crystal-like projection just in front of the steering wheel.

 _"Hello Yuma, and Astral. If you're seeing my message, the situation is much worse than I had hoped. This map shows seven ruins; inside of each is one of the seven Mythyrian Numbers. These cards are unlike any you have ever seen. And if they fall into Barian hands, an ancient evil will destroy everything you've been fighting for. That's why you must get those Numbers before the Barians can. I know you can do it; in fact, I'm counting on it."_

Yuma was awestruck at hearing the voice of his father again. He declared that there was no way he was letting down his father; we were going after the Mythyrian Numbers. Shark wanted to "take a bite out of their plans." Rio would have to come, too, to look after her brother.

"So how soon do you all want to leave?" Rio asked us.

"I say the sooner we get going, the better, Rio!" Tori exclaimed. Yuma was glad that we were going to help.

"Than what are we waiting for?" I asked rhetorically. "Let's get off to the first sight! I'll be on the outside of the airship. Since I can go through portals without any help, I'll be fine." They agreed to let me fly beside the ship in the vortex, since we were going immediately.

In the vortex, I was flying on the ship's starboard side. Blasts of lightning were flying really close to the ship, but were far off from getting me. I began to feel a familiar mind approaching at blinding speed. They didn't see the ship coming, and they spun out of control!

"Incoming!" I shouted as the being crashed into the side of the ship, attempting to swerve to the side which I was flying. In the midst of the following explosion, I could faintly hear an unmistakable sound: breaking crystal. I wanted to make out who it was when they made a last ditch attempt to go around the ship. They didn't see me flying by the ship either; the last thing I remember was something - or some _one_ \- bashing me in the head.

* * *

I woke up with a pounding headache; from impact, not a vision. I felt I was lying on grass, and a forest focused into my view. I quickly sat up, coming face to face with a boy wearing glasses. He had stormy gray eyes and hair, with a mindset that I found easy to recognize.

"Dumon?" I inquired softly at him. His own eyes widened as he looked me in the eyes.

"Star?" he asked in the same tone; I nodded. He suddenly gripped a wound on his upper arm in pain as he slightly grimaced. On that arm, he was looking at the bracelet in which he had his cracked and sputtering Baria Lapis. "My Baria crystal has been damaged. Without it, I won't be able to use my full powers here. If only I'd been more alert. I didn't spot you or that ship until it was too late; I'm sure it was Astral's. This mission is not off to a good start." I easily got back on my feet, also helping him up.

We heard rustling not far away, and were soon met with a huge, long-clawed bear! Yuma's mind started coming in, and he jumped out from atop a tree, getting between us and the beast.

"Keep your paws to yourself!" he yelled at the brown-furred creature. Astral caught up, going to Yuma's side. The bear was able to see Astral and his glowing aura. Adding to the intimidation, I started pouring out my powers in an "aura" of Shadow mist. Getting the message, the bear gave up and left, allowing me to let down the display. "Guess he couldn't _bear_ the thought of taking me on," Yuma panted. I looked at him in disapproval of the pun until more pain came from Dumon's injured arm, and he went down on his knees. Yuma looked down at him in worry till Shark came to the clearing.

"Careful, Yuma," he admonished as he came closer, glaring at Dumon. "Better keep your distance from that guy. You know this person?" Yuma denied it, but he saw me and the boy in trouble and literally jumped in to help. "Yeah, I figured as much. But seeing as we crashed into some kind of energy being on the ship that also crashed into Star; I'm wondering if that being could be him." I kept quiet about his real identity, knowing Dumon's ideals.

"I don't know what you mean," Dumon faked. "My name's Nash and I'm here on vacation. Something came down and hit me in the head; when I woke up, I saw your friend." I could see that Dumon was aliasing himself with the name of his old friend.

"You don't really expect us to believe that, do you?" Shark snapped.

"It is quite possible this stranger is a Barian," Astral added.

"Gee guys," Yuma defended. "He doesn't look like a Barian. I mean, why would a Barian need glasses?"

"They don't," Shark glared. "That's the idea; they're in disguise, Yuma. You are so completely clueless and -"

Tori's screaming cut him off. "Hey, that's Tori!" the Water duelist exclaimed. Scared for our friends, we began running in the direction of the screaming, with Dumon close behind. We found ourselves at ruins, marked with a carving of the Pegasus at the front.

"Whoa," Yuma awed. "This building needs some serious upkeep."

"These are the ancient ruins we seek, Yuma," Astral stated.

"One of the seven Numbers we're looking for must be inside."

 _So,_ Dumon thought, _Yuma and Astral must be looking for the Mythyrian Numbers, too._

 _Yup,_ I confirmed to him telepathically. _We were off the second we caught wind._ Tori screamed again from inside.

"Yuma, help!" she shouted. We all ran inside, being met with a strange sight. Tori and Rio were standing on a chunk of debris surrounded by snakes; Tori was screaming, but Rio just had her arms crossed with a defiant look. Yuma and Shark kicked the snakes away as I stayed near Dumon.

 _I have to find that Number before they do,_ he thought towards me. _But I do not have enough strength to find it myself. We will have to keep this ruse up and follow along for now._

"This should teach you not to play with snakes, Tori," Yuma scolded as they were kicking off the snakes.

"We weren't playing with them Yuma!" she defended. "They attacked out of nowhere!" Shark stepped up to a wall made of blue stone.

"Someone's trying to keep something safe," he observed. "These passages have been totally sealed off."

"Then we'll have to bust through," Yuma concluded as he walked to a wall of red stone next to the blue one. They both stepped on a pressure plate.

"That's not good," they spoke simultaneously. The place started shaking as a wall dropped between us and the entrance, just behind me and Dumon.

"We're trapped," he declared before looking back. Another wall was also coming down, but Shark walked right under it. I was safe, on the outer side of the blue wall. Dumon tackled Shark, getting him out of the way as the dividing wall crashed down. I was stuck on the blue side with Shark and Dumon; Yuma, Astral, and the girls were on the red side.

"Hey Shark, Star," Yuma's muffled voice called, pounding the divider. "You there?"

"Where else would we be?" Shark asked rhetorically in turn. "Something tells me this is only gonna get worse." The blue door rose to reveal a corridor made entirely of blue stone as I helped the boys up. Seeing we had to split up at the moment, we began walking down the corridor. Shark led the way as Dumon and I kept pace behind him.

"Thanks for saving my skin back there," Shark thanked the gray-eyed boy. "But don't get the wrong idea; it doesn't mean I trust you. Fact is, I still think that you might be the enemy."

"Think what you like," Dumon replied. "I only saved _you_ 'cause I owed your friend for saving _me_."

"Hmm... fair enough," Shark shrugged, accepting the answer. After a bit more walking, we came into a room, lit by torches with fire the same color as the stone around us. "Looks like we've come up empty. There's no way ahead, and nothing here." The place started rumbling again as a huge door/wall came down behind us. "On second thought, we may have discovered a trap."

We all kept our guard up, watching for anything that could happen. Then the walls started closing in from the sides, literally!

"This can't be good," I remarked.

"We definitely walked into a trap," Dumon declared worriedly.

Shark sneered. "And unless we think of something fast, we're not walking out of here." We were pressed up against each other at our backs, waiting for something good to happen. When the walls were pressing really close, a door opened, through which we all ran out single file into another room. In this one, the ceiling started coming down. After a short while, another door opened for us to escape through into yet another room.

"Whoever designed this place must've had a serious maze craze," Shark grumbled, leaning against the wall of the relatively calm room. Dumon and I secretly agreed; none of us were too fond of these room-related traps. A glowing bubble structure got our attention, showing Yuma dueling who appeared to be the Number Guardian. Yin came out next to me.

 ** _Mach,_** she muttered the Guardian's name in frustration. ** _Figures that Number 44: Sky Pegasus would cause all this._** I took the hint that the blonde knight Yuma was dueling was this "Mach" Yin had addressed. He seemed to notice my ace, enforcing his claim.

"Even when they are separated, true friends will find a way to help each other." Astral pondered over Mach's words. He came up with something, wanting us to find something to give them a clue on how to win. On the far wall, we noticed a mural with ancient writing of the Phantoms around pictures of a knight riding the Pegasus. To my surprise, it was perfectly clear to me and Dumon.

"This mural tells the story of a legendary hero from an ancient past," he translated. "It's all about a valiant knight. 'Long ago, this knight bravely defended his kingdom. Riding an incredible horse named Pegasus, he and his fellow knights defeated all the evil forces that threatened the land. In time, the whole kingdom was at peace. Then one day, the knight left the castle; longing to see his family, he and Pegasus journeyed to his home village. But while he was gone, some of his fellow knights grew envious of their king. They began to grumble and say that _they_ should rule the land instead. Soon, whispers of rebellion and betrayal could be heard echoing through the castle; the whole kingdom was now in peril.' It stops there, so I don't know how the story ended."

There wasn't any more time for questions as the ceiling began falling in heavy chunks. The boys and I had to dash and dodge the falling blocks until a door opened for us to run through into yet another room. The mural's story continued in this room, and Dumon translated it perfectly.

"The story of the knight and Pegasus continues. 'When he learned of the treachery of his companions, the heroic knight rushed back to the castle, hoping to restore order. He begged the other knights to remember the oath they had taken to uphold peace and justice in the kingdom, but they were too blinded by their thirst for power. The rebellious knights turned their swords against their former friend and attacked him. The heroic knight remained loyal, refusing to battle those who had been his friends. Without mercy, the rebels continued to attack him until he fell. At that moment, all seemed lost for the kingdom's last true knight. But the winged horse Pegasus suddenly flew down and landed between the rebels and his master. The horse was determined to protect the knight, no matter the consequences.'" We wanted to tell them more, but the rest of the mural was crumbled and illegible.

The story seemed to strike a chord in the young Barian's mind. He felt that he was here before; as if _he_ was the knight of the Pegasus. Strange memories began shooting up from beneath the surface, as if Dumon was being told that it indeed was him. Shark wanted Yuma to hold onto whatever LP he had left; Dumon and I thought otherwise.

"You must help us," Dumon concluded. "Sacrifice your LP." Shark considered his words as cowardly. "Think what you want, but I just remembered the rest of the legend." The floor began to crumble beneath us. "'With the rebels focused on attacking Pegasus, the noble knight could've run away. But instead, he remained beside his faithful horse and faced their adversaries, together and forever.' Don't you get it? This legend is about trusting in your friends and always sticking with them to the bitter end, no matter what. Please, Yuma, trust me and protect your Utopia." Shark was about to question whether Dumon was the enemy when he started falling through the floor. Dumon and I instinctively caught Shark's wrist, both our bracelets exposed. A strange Barian aura reacted with my own Phantom aura, spreading to Dumon's Baria Lapis and fixing the crack. "You were right Shark, it's true. I can feel my power returning, so now all can be revealed. As you can see, I am indeed a Barian." Dumon returned to his true form, exposing his identity yet both of us kept our grip on Shark.

We both managed to pull Shark from the chasm. When he was safe, he smacked Dumon's hand away, scolding Yuma for his decision to protect Utopia. When the door opened at his attack, Dumon and I kept pace with each other as he pulled Shark along. Through the bubble structure, we began to see Mach's LP finally start to drop. Yuma managed to Rank-Up Utopia into Utopia Ray Victory. With a final effect-driven attack, Yuma destroyed Sky Pegasus and won the duel. The final door opened for the three of us to escape. We heard that Mach actually _was_ thePegasus, who knew the rest of the story.

In the end, the rebels were moved by the sacrifice that he and the knight made. They were filled with shame and gave up their traitorous ways. The fallen horse and his master were buried together, and departed, never to be seen again. Or so the legend claims; Dumon and I knew exactly what he meant, but that's for another time. Ever since, Mach has had no other master, but has placed himself in Yuma's service, giving him the card.

Dumon was unsure of why he saved Shark alongside me. Something in the legend moved him, inspiring him to help. Yuma politely thanked the Barian for his help, but Dumon was humble towards the praise.

"I can see that Barian world is suffering more than usual," I observed, scanning Dumon. "But be on your guard around Vector; he might well be lying about the cause. If we manage to figure out the truth, we'll also figure out what exactly caused this entire war." Dumon mentally agreed, warning everyone that at their next encounter, they will be foes. Once he told his warning, he disappeared into an Overlay Network.

Yuma found something that had once belonged to his father: a King's Coin. It was clear that his father was here before, and Yuma sensed that he was still out there, alive. Once we were out, Yuma recalled Vector using his trusting and friendly nature against him. But Yuma wanted to keep following his father's footsteps, so he concluded that he'd keep trusting others, even if they were the enemy. I approved of that notion, but still decided to keep quiet about my ties with Mizar and Dumon. In the shadow of a cloud that looked identical to the famed flying steed, we made our way home.


	3. With Seven People

The next day after the others were done with school, we were off for the next Mythyrian Number. Like last time, I decided to ride beside the ship. But closer to the cab this time, since I didn't want a run-in - or should I say crash-in - with an unfriendly Barian emperor. The girls didn't seem to like that this one is on remote island that would be tricky. But the boys seemed ready for it. Who knows which of the Barian emperors we'll have to run into _this_ time? Hopefully, it's someone we don't need to worry about.

One of the Numbers from Astral's memories seems to get the attention of my Fiend monsters: Number 96: Dark Mist. From what I could tell, he looks exactly like Astral, but is tar-black instead of pale blue and white. I would occasionally feel some of the Fiends' cards reacting, probably whenever that guy gets any ideas. With the fact that it's more independent than any of the other Numbers, I'd consider him more dangerous than Heraldry Crest. But since I haven't quite met him yet - much to the crew's relief - who am I to judge?

On our way, the ship became rather turbulent and started tumbling around. Not wanting to get hit by the ship, I slipped inside to an extra seat on Rio's left. Yuma made the mistake of standing up, and was being tossed all over the place.

"The vortex is getting a little rough out there," I explained in short.

"We told you to stay in your seat, Yuma," Tori reprimanded.

"The ride seems a lot bumpier this time," Rio commented, looking at me. Astral floated to a struggling Yuma.

"This turbulence is an unusual and troubling phenomenon," he observed. "I wonder what could be its cause." No time for an explanation, as a really bad jarring from the turbulence sent Yuma flying up to hit his head on the ceiling. He crash-landed headfirst, rolling back and forth with every tilt the ship made.

"I guess this is our in-flight entertainment," Shark assumed. We all sweatdropped as Yuma continued to get thrown around. Everyone pitied the poor guy for taking such a beating in a single trip. And we weren't even at the ruins yet!

* * *

When we managed to find a good place to park the ship, we journeyed to the ruined castle on the island. The place gave me the creeps, and Rio didn't seem fond of it either. Despite the sensation of danger in the castle, we decided to go in to get the Number as Rio and I led the way.

The walls of the corridors in the castle were literally lined with murals and writings that I could understand. Rio seemed to understand the murals and what they were about.

"It's the story of the ancients... and their sadness," she explained. "The grief of those past lives sheds tears and it can't be healed by time." Something took hold of her, causing her an acid green aura and her eyes glowed the same color. My powers seemed to protect me from it. "This is the legend of this cursed place. 'Ages ago, a cruel prince lived in this palace and ruled the island. He looked on all people with suspicion, so he drove all his people into exile. But the hateful prince soon discovered he had left himself in exile." Whatever took Rio must've let go, because the green glow vanished as she collapsed into her worried brother's arms. Since the possession was brief, she recovered quickly and pulled herself up. "I'm fine now."

 _This ancient ruler,_ Astral pondered. _Why would he betray those he should've protected?_ I could feel the minds of two malevolent people in the castle, which worried me. Yuma assumed that the place really was cursed, to which I had secretly agreed.

We continued through the corridor, until we reached a hall that opened into five different corridors.

"How do we know which way we should go now?" Tori asked in worry. Yuma and I noticed a five-point star carved in the wall of the pathway farthest to the left.

"That star must be some kind of guidepost," he assumed, pointing at it.

"But maybe not," Tori countered.

"Yeah, it could be some kind of trap," Rio agreed.

"Don't worry," he assured. "Just follow me." Knowing that Yuma was too stubborn to argue with, we complied and followed him. But we barely got halfway down the staircase until we heard something moving behind us.

"What's that weird rumbling sound?" Rio asked, looking over her shoulder. I did the same, seeing a giant boulder rolling down.

"Run for it, guys!" I shouted. Everyone complied and started running down. The boulder was faster than we were, and was gaining on us by the second. We could only keep running, until Yuma saw another star carved in the wall. He pressed the tile it was on, causing a slab of stone to move, revealing an alcove. We instantly ran inside it, and the boulder rolled right past. Shark didn't like how Yuma led the way and nearly got us crushed. Astral wondered who left the carvings in the wall. Yuma assumed it was his father, as he did those kinds of things; it's somewhat believable; the symbols looked fairly recent compared to the murals. Yuma elbowed a switch, causing a trapdoor to open under him and Shark; a split second later, the same thing happened to me and the girls.

After sliding through a sort of tunnel with Shark in front of me, we both landed in a kind of cage. Everyone was okay, but now we were all trapped. It didn't help that a shackle of Baria crystal appeared on my ankle to restrain my powers; _again_.

"Well, look who's here," a voice purred. A sharp chill ran down my spine; only one person could have that voice. We all turned to the voice, and I was correct about the source: Vector. "Hello, Yuma." Yuma addressed him by his true name. "Are you not going to call me Ray anymore? I guess that means we're not as good friends as we used to be." Yuma sneered.

"You were never my friend!" he retaliated.

"I hate to break the news to you, Yuma, but I've already taken the Number you came here for."

"Why you -"

"But since you went to the trouble to come all the way here, let's have fun. Let's have a duel, and the winner gets the Number."

"Anything to make sure _you_ don't get it!" Vector chuckled darkly as chains came down from the ceiling.

"Well in that case, I'll have to upgrade you to a ringside seat." He pulled a chain, and the bars of Yuma's cage lifted. Something else must've happened - I couldn't see it from the cage Shark and I were in - because Yuma suddenly slid down a small ramp onto a stone pillar. Bars shot up behind him so he couldn't get off the pillar. Vector laughed in amusement. "I suppose I should mention that if you don't know how the mechanics of this thing works, there's no getting out. The Number's taught me a lot about the little tricks and traps in the Labyrinth of Screams. That's what they call it, you know."

"Quit messing with me! There's no way I can fight a duel from this puny pedestal!"

"You won't have to. you're not the one who's doing the dueling; Astral is." Rio didn't want Yuma to trust Vector and let Astral duel, but it wasn't his choice. Astral accepted the challenge, floating down to the floor, ready to duel Vector. "I never said _I_ would duel, Astral." A strange black cloud appeared from a fissure in the floor, solidifying into a black form of Astral with a malicious chuckle.

"This can't be!" Yuma exclaimed.

"It is Number 96!" Astral yelled with the same amount of shock.

 _ **"Nice to see you again, Astral,"**_ the form greeted. _**"Especially in such a perfect setting for an all-out duel."**_ He showed a card that glowed with power. _**"Here's the Number. Shall we start?"**_

"So you being here," Astral pondered. "Does this mean you have teamed with that Barian?"

 _ **"He sought me out and begged me to help him. I felt bad for the boy and I agreed. Now I will duel you and defeat you!"**_

"That will not happen. Yuma, I need to duel with your cards!" After Astral fired up his d-pad, he reached a hand toward Yuma. All the cards in his deck flew from the deck case in a golden shower. 96 brought out a similar-looking d-pad, along with a deck he got from a previous host.

 _ **"Things are different now, Astral,"**_ he warned with a sly grin. _**"I'm much more powerful. And there's no way you can beat me."**_ With us syncing into the duel, the spirits began.

96 took first draw, summoning lvl 2 Malicevorous Spoon. By sending lvl 2 Malicevorous Knife to the Graveyard, he brought out lvl Malicevorous Fork. With Spoon's effect, he was able to bring back Malicevorous Knife, overlaying them all to Xyz summon himself: rank 2 Number 96: Dark Mist. When it uses an OLU, its ability allows it to steal half an opposing monster's atk and add that amount to its own 100 atk in battle. Its ability ensures that it always has at least 100 more atk than its opponent. With one card facedown, 96 ended his turn.

Astral took his draw, special summoning lvl 4 Toy Knight, since he had no monsters on his field. He then summoned another Toy Knight, hoping that Dark Mist's OLUs would be used on them before summoning Utopia. Unfortunately, 96 saw it coming and activated the Small Stopper trap to keep monsters with 1000 or less atk from attacking; the Toy Knights only had 200 atk each. And when monsters in attack mode don't attack, Astral takes 1000 damage after his turn ends. Seeing no other choice, Astral overlaid his Toy Knights to Xyz summon Utopia and equipped it with the spell Guard Robe Exchange, giving it 500 more atk and raising it to 3000. He had Utopia attack the opposing Number, activating its Shadow Gain ability to steal half of Utopia's atk. Utopia's atk fell to 1500 as Dark Mist's rose to 1600. Astral activated Guard Robe Exchange's effect: when Utopia's atk changes, 96 takes the change's amount as damage; 1500 damage.

"Astral used Dark Mist's special ability against him." Shark concluded beside me. I nodded in agreement as 96 took the 1500 damage, being thrown back as his LP dropped to 2500. Astral then used one of Utopia's OLUs to stop the battle. Dark Mist got up.

 _ **"That was impressive,"**_ he complimented. _**"But you don't think I'm stupid enough to take damage for nothing, do you?"**_ Astral's eyes narrowed.

"Meaning?" he inquired. As his answer, a pendulum blade swung at Yuma! He instinctively ducked under the blade as we called out to him.

"What's going on?" he demanded as the pendulum swung the other direction.

"Oh," Vector smirked. "I forgot to mention every time Number 96 loses LP, you - my former friend - might end up losing more than just a hair or two." Everyone seemed to understand what that meant.

"What; are you insane?!" Yuma shouted, dodging the swinging blade again. Vector just let out a maniacal laugh.

"That would be a 'yes,' Yuma," I answered. "He's literally the most insane and unpredictable out of all the Barians. He's gone as far as trying to kill an entire family before, many times over."

"And you would know, wouldn't you?" Shark questioned skeptically. I returned the glare.

"Why wouldn't I? It was _my_ family he targeted, after all." Everyone except Vector and 96 gasped.

"It's true," Vector confirmed. "Let's just say I attempted 'doing away with' the entire Choseki family several times. But like a little ghost, your little mind-reading friend slipped through my fingers; her parents, however, weren't so lucky. I'm surprised she found the courage to return, though; I wouldn't be surprised if she knew my plans the entire time we were 'friends,' Yuma." With our enemies distracted, I used my powers to make a slight pulse; concealed to 96 and Vector, but undoubtedly noticeable to Orbital's satellites. If it's recognized, Kite will likely be on his way to help.

All of us were speechless at how Vector and 96 rigged the duel: every time 96 loses LP, a hefty weapon will come at Yuma from the ceiling. Yuma narrowly managed to avoid the swinging blade without falling off the pillar on which he was standing. Vector seemed to actually _enjoy_ watching Yuma almost get killed. Setting two facedowns, Astral ended his turn.

96 took his draw and summoned another Malicevorous Knife, using its effect to revive another one from the Graveyard. He overlaid the two monsters to Xyz Summon rank 2 Number 65: Djinn Buster, the Mythyrian we were looking for. He had Dark Mist attack Utopia, using its ability again to half Utopia's atk to 750, giving it to Dark Mist and raising its atk to 2350. Dark Mist nearly attacked until Astral activated Utopia's ability and negated the attack. But 96 used Djinn Buster's ability to negate the effect and deal Astral 500 damage, lowering his LP to 3500. Dark Mist continued its attack, destroying Utopia and dropping Astral's LP to 1900. He then had Djinn Buster deal a direct attack, bringing Astral's LP to 600. Having dealt as much damage as possible, 96 ended his turn.

Astral took his draw, activating the spell Xyz Treasure, letting him draw two cards for the two Xyz monsters on the field. He then summoned lvl 1 Explossum, equipping it to Dark Mist, which currently only had one OLU left; when it runs out, Explossum will self-destruct and destroy the equipped monster. Sadly, Djinn Busters special ability was activated, using it's other OLU to negate Explossum's effect and deal Astral 500 more damage, dropping the Astral being's LP to 100. With 96's Small Stopper still in play, Explossum can't attack with its 100 atk, and Astral will take 1000 damage if it doesn't. He activated the Tribute Ticket spell to have Explossum count as two monsters for a tribute summon, allowing him to bring out lvl 8 Swordsman of Revealing Light in defense mode. 96 taunted Astral to give up, reminding him of the betrayal Yuma had unknowingly committed back in Sargasso. Yuma told Astral to just beat the dark spirit, but Astral wanted desperately to protect his friend, ending his turn.

After 96 took his draw, he brought out Rank-Up Magic Barian's Force, to our surprise. He used it on Djinn Buster, evolving it into rank 3 Chaos Number 65: King Overfiend. Its continuous special effect assured that Astral's monsters' abilities were negated, so long as the Chaos Number stayed on the field. He then activated Overfiend's other effect, causing Astral's Swordsman of Revealing Light to lose 1000 of its def, lowering it to 1400; it had zero atk. Dark Mist attacked the Swordsman and destroyed it, but the monster in defense mode spared Astral's LP. Overfiend was about to attack when Astral activated the Xyz Reborn trap, bringing back Utopia from the Graveyard; the trap also became an OLU for the Warrior. 96 cancelled the attack out of frustration, but knew that Utopia was currently deprived of its effects. With one facedown, 96 ended his turn.

Yuma was really down on himself for being used as a shield to protect 96 from Astral. But his friend told him to find a way to turn his dilemma into an advantage. In a telepathic conversation between them, Yuma figured that he had to get off the pillar. He formed a plan in his mind; a horribly risky one, but if it worked out, Astral wouldn't have to worry about Yuma being in danger.

He was about to doubt himself when he found another King's Coin, reminding him to believe. Determined, he jumped onto the pendulum blade as it swung by again. He gripped its handle until letting go just above a lower, adjacent pillar. Vector pulled another chain, dropping a huge ball onto the pillar; not before Yuma jumped to a pillar set even lower. Leaping from that pillar to the floor at Astral's side, Yuma's plan worked, despite giving us a scare. As I began to hear Kite's mind starting to come in, I knew that he'd be flying in soon.

Relieved that Yuma was out of harm's way, Astral took his draw and evolved Utopia to Utopia Ray. He also activated the trap Superior Overlay, destroying Dark Mist and King Overfiend, as they had less OLUs than Astral's monster. But 96 used Dark Mist's last OLU to survive the trap. Astral could easily see that 96 and Vector overestimated their strategy while underestimating Astral and Yuma. He used Utopia Ray's ability, letting it gain 500 atk for each OLU while decreasing the opposing Number's atk by 1000 for the same rate. Utopia Ray's atk rose to 3500, as Dark Mist's atk dropped to 350. He nearly defeated the dark Number if it weren't for 96's Chaos return trap, which stopped the attack and let him discard a card to activate a spell in his Graveyard. Activating Barian's Force, 96 evolved its respective monster to rank 3 Chaos Number 96: Dark Storm.

The connection between the dark spirit and the Number was clearly shown by the Rank-Up Magic. 96 grew larger and stronger-looking, also growing a pair of dark black wings and raw Baria crystals on his body. I could see that not even Vector saw it coming, showing me a sense of Vector's true nature and memories, beneath his insanity. I got the perfect chance to see what was causing Vector's maniacal demeanor: Don Thousand's control. Chaos Return's other effect activated, forcing Utopia Ray to battle, but both players would take the battle damage. Utopia Ray destroyed Dark Storm, and both 96 and Astral's LP dropped to zero simultaneously, declaring the duel as a draw. Seeing as it was neither a win nor a loss, Vector pulled a chain to destroy the entire castle. With us still inside.

The cages started crumbling around all of us. The chain on my ankle disappeared as 96 and Vector did the same to leave the falling palace. Just as they left, Yuma began to fall through a chasm in the floor, but Kite - using Orbital's glider mode - caught his wrist before anything bad happened.

"Thanks for the lift!" he called to the blonde. "The Barians are back Kite."

"Can't wait to hear what happened," he replied.

"But it can wait till we get out of here," I added. Once given the chance, all of us made a break for the exit. We all got out of the crumbling castle with no harm done. We made for the bridge that we crossed on our way here.

"So you guys are on a scavenger hunt looking for seven special Numbers?" Kite inquired.

"Yup," Yuma confirmed. "We already got one, but the Barians got the Number that was in there." He looked up at Astral, who was staring at the ruins with deep intrigue.

"Sorry for keeping secrets from you guys," I apologized, looking down at my feet. "To tell you the truth, I _did_ know Ray's real identity the whole time. The problem was I knew none of you would believe me. And before you ask, Yuma; yes, I can read minds, along with seeing spirits and the future. Just don't panic like Quattro almost did when I revealed it to the Arclights." Yuma and Tori looked at me with surprise going off like bombs in their minds; Kite, Astral, and the Kastle twins already knew and kept a straight face. Actually, I sensed mild amusement from Shark; he imagined a surprisingly accurate scenario of Quattro freaking out. "Now come on," I encouraged. "Let's go home."


	4. That Were Matched

The next day, we went to where the next Mythyrian was: Spartan City. Kite came along, too; he left Orbital to watch the ship. But before we started looking for the Number, Tori and Rio grabbed my arms and pulled me away.

"Huh?" I asked in surprise. "What in the Shadow Realm are you two doing?"

"Going for a new wardrobe, of course!" Tori replied cheerfully.

"After all, you're not enough of a girl even _with_ your long hair," Rio added. I looked back at the boys in apology, and they waved it off. All I could do was follow along with the two as they pulled me along, the physical contact causing their enthusiasm to clamor through my head.

Those two checked out clothes that they found in the stores. They found it easy enough to find new clothes for themselves. Rio got a striped blue tunic with a dark blue flared skirt and white high-heeled sandals. Tori got a ruffled dark pink shirt with pleated white shorts and brown gladiator-type sandals. Once they finished finding new outfits for themselves, they started looking for something more feminine that they thought I'd look nice in. I was indifferent to their decisions; until they shoved me into a dressing room with a few outfits.

" _Hey!_ " I protested.

"Hay is for horses, Star," Tori countered slyly.

"We're not letting you out until you put on one of the outfits we chose," Rio informed in a sassy tone. I growled in frustration.

They chose my "respective colors," - any hue between midnight blue and dark purple, with shades from silver to black - so I didn't mind the color schemes. But I had issues with the fact that none of the outfits completely covered my arms or legs; or even my _back_ , in some cases. Figures they thought I was too modest; with these outfits, they were just _asking_ to see my scars. But Tori and Rio were serious; they had no intention of letting me out until I put on an outfit. Sighing, I decided on a sleeveless, indigo tunic dress that reached my knees with black fabric bordering the V-neck and around the waist. It was matched with black legging shorts that only reached halfway down my thighs, hidden by the tunic. They also got black, low-heeled sandals to complete the look.

"Alright," I told them in defeat. "I have on one of the outfits. Now let me out."

When they did so, the girls were shocked at seeing the exposed scars. I was pretty embarrassed, but they now understood why I was so modest. I could see and feel their sympathy for me, though it wasn't enough to let me change back to my normal clothes. Without another word, we returned to where we left the boys at the plaza.

"Hey," Tori greeted, "did you boys miss us?" Yuma looked at us, slightly flinching.

"To help us in our Number search, we checked out the local scenery," Rio explained.

"Now that we've explored those fashionable clothing shops, we should begin a restaurant survey," Tori suggested.

"And then pick up some local dance moves." Tori was ecstatic while Yuma sweatdropped. I had a _don't-get-ahead-of-yourself_ reaction like the other boys. They were a little taken aback seeing my scars, but knew the reason why and didn't judge me for it. We went exploring the town, trying to find the ruins.

"Okay, seriously," the green-haired girl commented, "this city's _huge_ ; so how will we find the ruins we're looking for?"

"We could ask the locals," Rio suggested. "Or buy a guidebook."

An advertisement for a tournament got Yuma's attention. "You guys aren't gonna believe it!" he exclaimed, pointing at the poster.

"Figures," Tori pouted. "I should've known you were going gaga over a duel."

"Forget the duel! Check out the duelist in the mask!" Yuma pointed to the masked duelist who was labeled "Nistromo the Star Voyager."

"That looks like Nistro," Kite mused, taking us by surprise. Their memories showed me all they knew about the hot-headed duelist who looked strikingly like the so-called Star Voyager. From Yuma, Tori, and Kite, I could also see that his best friend was a woman named Dextra. I remember that those two were vaguely mentioned by Quinton and Vetrix, as they dueled in the World Duel Carnival a while back.

"That's definitely Nistro," Yuma confirmed. We all rushed to where the tournament was taking place. The sudden crowd of minds crowding through my head was a migraine for me, to say the least. I stayed closer to the exit to spectate the battle as Yuma and the others stood closer to the field. Nistromo took down his opponent Muscules the Magnificent fairly quickly, making it to the finals.

Once it was over, we followed the victorious duelist to outside his room. He was signing autographs for the little ones, with the woman at his side that the others knew as Dextra.

"Can I get an autograph, too?" Yuma asked, getting their attention. "Hey Dextra and Nistro, what's up?"

"That looks like... Yuma!" Nistro shouted back with a grin. Dextra smiled at all of us and gladly let us in.

"I'm Star," I introduced myself once inside. "Nice to meet you two."

"Well I'm Nistro," the flame-haired man replied, getting a bit too close. "You seem to be much like _someone_ I know. Wouldn't you agree, Dextra?" I could tell he was trying to get a rise out of his friend because of her secret feelings for Kite. I tilted my head down and glowered at him.

"Not even close," I hissed. My snake-like tone and gleaming eyes unnerved him, because he flinched slightly and backed away. I walked up to Dextra, winking at her after she introduced herself. To my surprise, neither of them judged me for my permanently marked skin.

"So you went pro, huh Nistro?" Yuma asked. "You've got a cool new name, awesome threads, and now you're a total fan-magnet."

"I suppose," Nistro replied. "Kids love my whole galactic warrior persona. But the best thing's that I'm winning, and now have a shot at a championship."

"And have you become a professional duelist, too, Dextra?" Tori inquired.

"No way," the purple-haired woman replied. "I am Nistro's manager."

"It's a big career change," her companion added, "but we decided we wanted to give young people hope. I figured that by becoming Nistromo the Star Voyager, I could give fans a hero they could look up to. I guess that sounds pretty corny to you."

"Are you kidding?" Yuma grinned. "I think it's fantastic!"

"Yeah," Shark agreed wholeheartedly.

"What your doing is important," stated Kite. "Fans need to feel someone is battling for them. I felt exactly like you do, when I dueled for my brother." Rio looked at her brother, smiling mischievously.

"Hmm, it's nice to know that _some_ people in this group value their siblings."

"Who do you mean?" Shark asked, denying it being directed at him; we all laughed at his reaction.

"What brought all of you here to Spartan City, anyway?" Dextra inquired.

"We're on a mission," Yuma answered, causing the mood to become serious. "We're looking for some ancient ruins."

"What ruins?" Nistro persisted. Yuma filled them in on what we've been doing so far, as well as the Numbers' connection to Yuma's father. We decided to talk more about it while we had dinner, since it was getting to be that time on the clock.

* * *

We all had dinner at one of the restaurants at Spartan City. We were at one of the higher floors, sharing a large table. I was seated opposite to Nistro at our table. Kite, Tori, and Yuma were at my left; Rio, Shark, and Dextra were on my right.

"So," Nistro contemplated, "these ruins you're looking for are somehow connected to your father?"

"That's right," confirmed Yuma. "Have you heard about anything from the locals here?" The flame-haired duelist nodded.

"I've heard some of them talk about a legend."

"It tells about a ruined coliseum," Dextra explained, "haunted by the spirit of a warrior."

"Warrior," echoed Kite. "What else do you know?"

"According to the legend, there was once a brave warrior who only battled with his hands. Even so, he was the greatest warrior in the city. His only true rival was the prince of the city, who was himself a mighty warrior. The two battled many times and came to respect each other's skills. Though one was royalty and the other a commoner, they eventually became friends."

"None of this made the prince's advisers very happy," Nistro commented.

"And so, they started to look for some way to get rid of the warrior for good. During a public match, the advisers accused the warrior of being a traitor and threat to the empire. The warrior swore he was innocent, and the prince defended him, too. But the warrior was found guilty; and so he was banished from the city forever. Time passed, and the great city fell into decay. But legend says that even now, the spirit of the warrior wanders the coliseum's ruins."

"His spirit's still angry that he paid for a crime he didn't commit," Kite assumed.

"No, you're wrong," denied Nistro. "His spirit is there because he still wants to fight. The prince's advisers stopped their match before it was done. The outcome was never decided, so the warrior's spirit can't rest."

"I see why," I spoke up. "It's the culture of any warrior to never rest until a match is decided; be it a win, or a loss." The two older duelists nodded in agreement.

"He still lingers in the coliseum's ruins," Dextra added, "which are now underwater."

"Wait," Yuma stopped. "I thought those ruins were supposed to be here in the city." Dextra pointed to the coliseum out the window behind Yuma.

"They are. The people of Spartan City were afraid of the spirit, so they built a huge bank all around the ruins and then filled it with water."

"How can we reach the Number if it's underwater?" Yuma asked himself aloud as he turned to look out the window.

"It'll be dark soon, Yuma," Rio informed. "Let's deal with this tomorrow after we get a good night's sleep." Astral came out of the key looking to the ruins. _Retrieving the Number down there will not be easy,_ he thought. I second that.

* * *

 _So much for a good night's sleep, Rio._ I couldn't even fall asleep. I had the nagging feeling that something was going to happen; I couldn't relax. I could sense that Nistro was finding it difficult to sleep, as well. Giving up, I phantomized and flew to the roof to clear my head. I detected something from the coliseum: a familiar mind; but their thoughts were clouded over with unfamiliar malice.

The sound of a motorcycle added to my concerns; Nistro was heading to the coliseum. I flew after him, making sure to be out of his peripheral vision; however, I still heard his every thought. _Strange, this is the first time I've had trouble sleeping before a match. It's not a good sign._ _The legend says that whoever captures the spirit of the warrior will gain extraordinary power. I can't believe I came here in the middle of the night because of some moldy old legend. Even if the story_ were _true, I could never reach those ruins unless I had scuba gear._

The familiar mind flared up even more as a bunch of explosions came up, causing the ledge Nistro was standing on to collapse. The force of the explosions sent me flying backwards, indicating that they were caused by cards and Barian power. Though knocked out of the sky, I was otherwise fine. The blasts were along the bank edges, causing the water to drain. The noise woke up everyone at the hotel except for Tori. Soon, they were coming closer to the ruins in Dextra's car. Heading back to the road, I waited for them to arrive, knowing that I'd have to explain. Once they came up, they saw me standing there. I briefly explained my appearance as we went down to the coliseum; I got there first.

I felt a sudden surge of power, along with seeing a bright blue light coming from the ruins. A cloaked figure was punching a barrier that shielded the Number. The guardian looked like a powerful warrior, and one of my new Fiends came out to see. It was Dark Necrofear, who was actually a female; she was kind, but also timid for a Fiend. I learned before that she preferred the nickname "Necra" and actually despised the mutilated doll everyone believed she held; she almost never had it with her.

 _ **It's**_ _ **Gladius; he**_ ** _knows something is amiss with that young Barian. If Yin told me true, that Barian had befriended Utopia's duelist; he doesn't appear to be acting right._** I recalled that the only Barian in whom Yuma found a friend was Alito. Necra and Gladius were right; Alito wasn't at all acting like his normal self. In fact, it felt like Don Thousand was influencing him; the real Alito wasn't in control. Nistro was about to confront him when Yuma and the others finally caught up.

"Nistro!" Yuma yelled. "Nistro, what're you doing here?" He recognized Alito as he turned to face him. "Alito. Long time, no see. I'm glad to see that you're okay. I was worried about what happened to you after our duel."

"As you can see, I'm fine," Yuma's former friend pointed out. "I've completely recovered and I can't wait to step into the ring with you and have a rematch." _This Number is eager to go into battle with me. But if I wield it myself, the risk would be too great._ Those thoughts from Alito took me by total surprise. Since when does _he_ think before he duels?

"Someone set off explosives here to get rid of the water in the lake," Nistro explained. "I think it may have been this guy, Yuma."

 _Of course,_ Alito thought. _I can have_ him _take the risk for me._ "You're a duelist, right?" he inquired. "Then you'll love this card; check it out." He threw the card at Nistro, who immediately caught it.

"Hold on. This is a Number card!"

Alito grinned maniacally as he brought out his Barian's Force spell card and held it up to Nistro. "That's right; and you will now use that card to defeat Yuma for me!" The card started glowing, and Nistro started getting zapped with the card's power. His mind was overtaken by Barian's Force, and a Barian Emblem appeared on his forehead.

Yuma looked horrified as his friend fell to his knees. "What're you doing?! Stop! Nistro, no!"

The flame-haired duelist's eyes opened and flashed crimson; his thoughts wiped clean. "I must eliminate all threats to Barian World," he muttered, smirking.

"Alito!" Yuma scolded. "Why have you taken control of Nistro's mind?" Dextra was taken by surprise, demanding to know who the young Barian was. Alito told her his name, and that he was a Barian Emperor.

Dextra's eyes widened. "You can't be a Barian! Your kind left this world after Dr. Faker was defeated."

"That was a different Barian, Dextra," I corrected. "This one isn't acting right. We all know Alito's true nature and _this_ isn't it." Alito smirked and challenged Dextra and Yuma to a tag duel with Nistro. We all knew that defeat was the only way to free Dextra's childhood friend. The four of them readied their d-pads as the rest of us synced into the duel.

The moonlight above was making me feel weird. My powers were starting to turn away from everyone else's minds. The feelings didn't get much better when Nistro Xyz summoned the Mythyrian. It was Number 54: Lion Heart. Its atk may have only been 100, but its abilities - battle immortality, damage distribution, and LP revival - made it a formidable monster. Strange blue flames appeared on the benches of the coliseum, some of them surrounding me in a spinning dance; I sensed that they were ghosts. Against my will, I was lifted into the air and centered above the battlefield; the others were calling to me. Something circular appeared on my head. But before I could make out what it was, a strange presence caused my consciousness to slip away...

* * *

A strange jolt streaked through my body as I dropped to the ground. I reverted back to my normal clothes as everyone's thoughts came back into view. I got a fleeting image of my parents being shot, which made me instantly realize they were gone now. I could feel memories breaking through the surface in Alito's possessed mind, and he and Nistro just lost the duel. The memories were telling him that he was the brave warrior of this coliseum. I sensed all the ghosts vanish, and Alito was in a state of shock.

"I don't understand," he remarked. "Where did those memories come from?" He was left in his curiosity as he was whisked away in an Overlay Network. I felt Kite and Rio hoisting me up to my feet.

"What... what happened?" I mumbled, opening my eyes.

"You don't remember?" Shark asked.

"Probably not," his sister mused. "After all, her eyes were glowing for most of the duel." Kite looked down at me as he explained.

"You had a ghostly, purplish-blue aura throughout all the excitement; there was also a silver crown with lavender crystals on your head in that ghost form. You kept screaming in pain whenever Lion Heart used Reviving Jolt on Nistro. And while Dextra's Night Papilloperative was out, you were imitating her movements perfectly." I was quite surprised by the explanation coming from the Galaxy-Eyes Master. I looked down at the ground to see a ritual spell and monster; I picked them up to look at them. The spell card was called "Ghost Queen's Coronation," and the monster was "Yurei Kuin." The monster's spirit came out to meet me.

 ** _I have slept here for many years in wait of the Ghost Queen,_** she told me. ** _I was awakened by the battle that occurred. I wish that those who are wrongly controlled are released soon._** I nodded in agreement as she went back.

"Looks like whatever happened to us in the duel was worth it," I commented, looking over at Nistro.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Considering that neither of us remember what happened."

* * *

The next morning, Yuma found another King's Coin. "I could sense that he was watching over me while I was dueling," he remarked as he picked it up, thinking of his father. Nistro cleared his throat and held the Number card up to Yuma.

"Maybe you should keep this Number Card, too. I wish you'd told me you were taking on these Barians, Yuma. Just give me the word and I'll drop everything to help you."

"No thanks," Yuma denied. "I'll never let you abandon your dream! You told me you wanted to give all your fans hope. You're not gonna let them down, are you?" Nistro smiled at his friend.

"Of course not." I was able to get my strength back from the rest of the night.

Of course, when we got back to the ship to head, home, Tori and Orbital were pretty ticked. "Ugh! I can't believe nobody woke me up and I missed out on all the excitement!"

"Sorry," apologized Rio. "We thought you needed your beauty sleep."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?!"

"How c-come I always get stuck on this flying ba-ba-barge?!" Orbital demanded. Kite was starting to get irritated with Orbital, as was Shark and I. "If you don't bring me along next t-t-time, I'm going on strike!" Yuma was near the edge of the deck, staring off into space. Astral and I went over to him to talk.

"Yuma," the blue spirit addressed, making him turn to us. "Are you thinking about Alito?" I nodded at Astral, indicating that he was. "He took control of Nistro, and almost destroyed us. You must surely see that he is our enemy and will never change."

 _I could see that it wasn't Alito's fault, Astral,_ I told him telepathically. _It's pretty clear that something has him by the brain and won't let go. I saw a similar presence in Vector as well; their true natures briefly show only in a state of shock. Something's not right with Barian World, and it could be whatever this controlling entity is._

 _Alito,_ Yuma thought, _I don't understand what happened to change you so much, but I really hope that one day you and I will face each other again, as friends. So keep your duel disk prepped, 'cause I'll be coming for ya._


	5. With Seven Cards

The next day, I managed to get over the incident at Spartan City. We were on course for the next Mythyrian; this one was in the mountain ranges of China. I was flying close to the deck - on which Kite was standing - in the vortex. All my dragons were really excited to go, especially Yin; I wouldn't be surprised if this one was a Dragon-type monster. Apparently, Kite's Galaxy-Eyes was also pretty eager, as its card flashed in Kite's hand.

 _Galaxy-Eyes is calling to me,_ I heard from his thoughts. _Could a duel soon be in the cards for us?_

"Hey," I called softly, getting his attention. "Looks like both of our dragons are pretty excited by this next Mythyrian. Yin's been acting the same way as your Photon Dragon." He looked over at me.

"If I remember right, Yin is that big, purple snake dragon you like to ride so much. If this next Number is also a Dragon, I have a guess on which Barian will be on our tails." I nodded, knowing that Kite was mentioning his rivaling Galaxy-Eyes Master. I already know Mizar, and I could count on it that he'd be next.

Right when we left the vortex, I nearly collided with a huge spike of rock. I **Shadow Summoned** Yin to be my ride through the spikes. We managed to get under control fairly quickly; the others, not so much. The airship made a crash-landing near the mountain at the center of this rock-spike forest. By the time Yin and I caught up, the others were coming out, unharmed. They were glad to see I was fine with my ace, and Kite was especially intrigued by Yin's appearance.

"Uh, you guys," Yuma remarked. "I bet the Number's at the top of that mountain." The mountain was seriously tall; its peak disappeared into the clouds.

"So that means we're gonna have to climb all the way up there to get it?" Shark inquired. Tori, Rio, and Orbital didn't look too thrilled with it.

"Let's get going," Kite suggested.

"A-a-about that," Orbital stuttered, "I don't think I can climb, Master Kite. That c-c-crash-landing pulverized my processors." The bot was spewing smoke and steam from his compartments, proving his point.

"Count me out, too," Tori declined. "Heights aren't my thing. Guess I'll stay here; all alone."

"Oh no you won't," Rio denied the last part from Tori. "I'm no fan of rock climbing; I'll stay with you."

"Yeah?"

"Of course. It's more fun to be alone when you've got company." Tori smiled.

"That's awesome, Rio. We can get in some girl time; just us. What about you, Star? Do you want to stay down here with us?" I shook my head.

"No thanks, you two. I like to be up high. Besides," I gestured to Yin, eagerly looking up the mountain, "my monsters can hardly wait to get up there." Yuma went up to the mountainside, ready to start climbing.

"Come on guys, let's go!" Yuma encouraged. "This thing won't climb itself!"

"Promise me that you'll be careful!" Tori shouted.

"Don't worry, Tori. I'm the son of an adventurer!"

"But your dad was a pro. _He_ could climb mountains; _y_ _ou_ have a hard time climbing stairs." I laughed at Tori's comment.

"Sheesh, Tori," Yuma sweatdropped. "You're beginning to sound just like Kari."

"When you get the Number, you come right back! You hear me?!"

"You can count on it!"

"By the way," I broke in, "do any of you want me to Shadow Summon one of your monsters to ride up?" Everyone declined, especially Yuma and the girls. "Suit yourselves," I shrugged, getting back onto Yin. We both flew up, hearing a strange roar from atop the mountain.

 _ **The Mythyrian is definitely another Dragon,**_ Yin confirmed. ** _I can't wait to get up there._** I glanced down at the boys, seeing a light coming from Kite's deck.

 _This must be why Galaxy-Eyes is so agitated,_ I heard from the former Number Hunter. Rumbling filled the air after the glow faded. A bunch of rocks started falling down; Yin and I had to swerve out of the way as we continued flying up. The boys seemed to have minor trouble with those rocks, but no one got hurt.

We both got up to the top first, being met by a misty mountaintop; I dismounted from my dragoness. There was a weird Asian temple at the center, radiating the power of a Light-attribute Dragon. Soon, the boys came up behind us, Shark and Kite regretting turning down my offer.

"Who would've guessed that after a dangerous climb up an enormous mountain," remarked Yuma, "we'd run straight into an enormous door." As if by itself, the door opened up into a large courtyard. "Leading to an enormous temple. Anyone picking up on an enormous pattern here? Get it? 'Cause everything's _enormous_?"

"Yeah, we get it Yuma," Shark mused.

"Guess someone's expecting us," assumed the amateur duelist. "But who'd be waiting for us up here?" Shark thought the Barians were here already, but I didn't pick up on any Barian minds. Soon, a faint aroma of food caught my attention; Yuma smelled it, too, and started following it mindlessly. "I smell something... right over here... It smells too yummy to be a Barian." We sighed as he approached a huge, boiling bowl over a fire that was emanating the scent.

"Yuma," I warned, "I don't think going up to that food is a good idea, 'cause odds are -" I was cut off when a wooden stick was thrown at him, knocking him in the head. "- someone lives here..." I finished, facepalming. "That was stupid of you, Yuma!"

"Stay away from my lunch!" a gruff voice ordered. At the entrance to the temple was an short old man, probably the one who threw that stick.

"Hey!" the food-loving boy protested. "Watch it, that hurt! Whaddya think you're doing, mister?!"

"Funny," the man mused. "That is what _I_ should be asking. How dare you try to eat my stewed pigs' feet!" I cocked my head at the mention of the man's meal.

"Uh, n-no," Yuma stuttered. "I was just looking." The man came back down to retrieve his walking stick.

"Yes, looking like a foolish raccoon thieving by day."

"You've got me all wrong!" The stranger got in Yuma's face.

"You're lying." Yuma stood up and looked down at him.

"I am not lying!"

"Now you're lying about all the lying you've done," The man fired back, bashing Yuma upside the head with his stick. He looked up and noticed us as we approached. "Who are you? More liars?"

"Excuse our moronic friend," Kite apologized, keeping a straight face. "We've come to these ruins to find a Number." The elder looked at us with doubt, and I couldn't read his mind.

"A Number?" he echoed, eyes flashing gold. Photon's sky-blue power surrounded Kite; Yin's indigo power surrounded me. "I sense you ally yourself with a dragon," he observed, staring down Kite. He glanced at me. "You, girl, are allied with a dragon as well."

"That's right," replied the Galaxy-Eyes Master. "And I have a strong feeling that we're not the only ones, are we?" A large, golden dragon's spirit appeared behind the stranger. Yin and the gold dragon roared at each other in recognition. "So you do have a dragon," Kite confirmed. "Just who are you, old man?"

"My name is Jinlon," he introduced. "The guardian of the Number here at Temple Draghos." He looked over at the spirit of my dragoness. "It has been a long time, Yinlong, since we have last seen each other." My ace came out in spirit form.

 ** _Indeed it has, Jin. But I can tell that it is not Star and I you are after._** He met my gaze as I glowered at him.

"No, it is not you that I wish to duel, young Phantom," he confirmed. "You - honored among living and deceased - stand for peace; the bridge of shadow over which only those worthy of your trust may cross." He turned back to Kite. "To make this climb shows spirit; you remind me of someone that I once knew long ago, young one."

"Who?" Kite demanded.

"A brave duelist who dared face the fiercest of dragons. Their savage battle has gone on to become the stuff of legend at these ruins."

"That duelist he knew was Mizar," Astral realized, voicing my assumption.

"I see," Jinlon mused. "So you are familiar with the legend of Temple Draghos as well, stranger."

"Hold on," Yuma interrupted. "How can that be?! Mizar's a Barian; he's not from this world."

"That's not quite true, Yuma," I broke in. "Back in your duel with Mizar, I saw the majority of his memories were beneath the surface. The same was the case with all of the Barian emperors we've met so far. All of those hidden memories are like the emperors' human past lives. The Mythyrian Numbers and their corresponding legends clearly have something to do with them." Astral agreed, recalling the legends about Alito and Dumon's past lives.

"No way," Shark's eyes widened as he put the pieces together. "The Barians were humans? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Apologies, Shark," Astral replied.

"Whoa," Yuma awed. "That means the legends at the ruins we've found so far have been all about the Barians."

"Yuma, Shark," Kite interrupted. "I'll be the one to handle this duel, got it? I don't think it's just a coincidence that I'm here; it's fate. My dragon and I were destined to face Jinlon and duel his beast."

"Very well," the opponent in question replied. "If you are able to defeat me and my fearsome dragon, I will hand over this ruins' Number as your trophy. But if you lose, I take your dragon, instead. Is that understood?"

"Suit yourself. Just know that there's no way that you'll win."

"You are like a peacock: little more than a bold veneer!" Jinlon similized as he tossed his now-glowing walking stick upwards. Kite used his Photon Transformation, materializing his duel gazer tattoo and d-pad. Jinlon's stick came back down as his d-pad, which explained the glowing. The rest of us synced into the duel to watch.

"Before we begin," Kite interrupted, "I have to know one thing. Was it your dragon Mizar had to battle against, Jinlon? If so, did you beat Mizar in this legendary duel?"

"Maybe if you win, I will tell you," Jinlon replied vaguely. "Let us begin." With that, Jinlon took first draw.

Honestly, I wasn't really paying attention to the duel. What Jinlon said about the legend is about as descriptive as what's left of Mizar's memories: barely at all. I made sure that the others weren't paying attention to anything but the duel before letting my body melt into my own shadow and rush into the temple.

It didn't take long for me to find the legend in murals on the walls. It was written in the same writing as before, meaning I could read it. After I'd finished reading the legend, I needed to check whether the dragon tamer mentioned by this legend had arrived. It would be too soon if Mizar turned up at the site of the duel between Jinlon and Kite.

Besides, I wanted to ask that Barian blonde a few questions about Alito's behavior. Odds are, Girag's in the same state; Vector probably caused it. Mizar hates Vector as much as the rest of us, if not more so. But he must have some knowledge of Vector's weaknesses or fears that may prove useful if he's willing to share it. So far, only Alito and Girag can be puppets for Don Thousand aside from Vector. As far as I can tell, neither Dumon nor Mizar haven't become as depleted or as vulnerable as the two brotherly Barians. Turning back into shadow, I left the temple and headed for the mountains. I managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of the ruins' Mythyrian, Number 46: Dragluon.

I made sure to keep my mind-reading on high alert for any Barians. Soon enough, I managed to pick up on Mizar's thoughts, which were currently confused. Mizar couldn't figure out why, but the area was very familiar to him, as well as the roaring of Dragluon. I was able to sense the memories rising to the surface. Honing in on his mind, I shot towards him, still in the shadows. He was standing on one of the wide rock spikes that we both could stand on with decent room, so I came out of the shadows right in front of him in mid-air. I **Shadow Summoned** Yin so I could ride her while we talked. He was mildly surprised at my sudden appearance, but not as much as Yuma or his friends would be.

"Now what do you want?" he asked coldly. I met his chilling gaze with my own snake-like glare.

"Nothing too troublesome. Just a few questions concerning Alito, Girag, and Vector." He shot me a skeptical look.

"And why should I tell you anything about them?" _I can't talk about Alito and Girag's strange behavior with just_ anyone _, of course. It would be better off if only us Barians were aware of it._

"'Strange behavior'?" I echoed. "Did you forget about my mind-reading already?" He looked surprised for a second before taking a deep sigh.

"I suppose it's too late to hold it back now. Girag and Alito should've been in a state of eternal stasis while they recovered their energy in the Baria crystals; it should've taken at least a year. But somehow, they both recovered at unimaginable speed. However, neither of the two have been acting right ever since they returned; Alito even called Dumon and me 'losers'." I saw the memory of the insult clearly in Mizar's mind.

"That certainly doesn't sound like the Alito we know. I should know; he wasn't at all acting like himself at Spartan City. Girag might even have a similar change in mindset." Mizar seemed to share my concern towards the sudden mental change. "By the way, we've already seen another legend that seems to be about Vector. Does he have phasmophobia, by any chance?" I remember a part in Vector's legend saying that the prince was pulled into the afterlife by the ghosts of his soldiers. That would be the perfect way for Vector to come down with a fear of ghosts.

"I believe so," Mizar replied. "That could explain why he so despises the Phantom race. Why do you ask?" I took out all my ghost-related cards from my deck and and showed them to the blonde. He was mildly impressed. "That's quite a few ghost monsters you have. They might prove useful if you're planning to give him a fright."

"Oh, believe you me, I intend to scare him straight," I confirmed, putting back my cards into my deck. "As a matter of fact, if I'm right, Vector might well know the cause of the destabilization of Barian World; as well as the suspicious change in your fellow Barians. He just doesn't want you to know the truth: Don Thousand might well be influencing the three of them." Mizar seemed eager to tune that out; he and Kite are far more similar than they like to believe. Yin nodded in understanding of my suspicions.

 _ **You and Tachyon must remain on your guard, Dragon Tamer. Don Thousand wishes to make tributes of you and the other emperors.**_ I was about to ask more questions when an explosion came from atop the mountain of Temple Draghos. Mizar, realizing that something had happened, took off for the mountaintop. Seeing that he'd be too stubborn to answer any more of my questions either way, Yin and I returned to the temple.

By the time we got up there, we saw that Kite had won the duel against Jinlon. I dismounted from Yin not far from the group. Jinlon's d-pad turned back into his walking stick as he kneeled on the ground.

"Congratulations, Kite," he commended. "You've passed and won our duel."

"I must know," Kite interrogated. "Why did you test me?"

"The answer to that question lies in the legend of this temple."

"Why? Is it a story about Mizar?"

"Yes, but much more as well. The story began not far from here. 'Long ago, there stood a village. The people lived in peace and harmony, for they were protected by a noble and mighty dragon. But it was not the lone guardian of the village. The great monster battled alongside its closest friend: a warrior named Mizar. Together, they made a formidable defense. But dark times were ahead. A terrible flood struck the land, leaving only calamity and sorrow in its wake. Soon, a mysterious shaman arrived, with a voice as hypnotic as an evening dream; he declared that the dragon had caused the disaster. The people were led astray by the charlatan's lies and turned on their guardian, the dragon. They marched against the monster, ready to destroy it for good. Mizar knew in his heart that the dragon wasn't to blame. He tried to convince the people, but his pleas were not heard. The people demanded Mizar destroy the dragon. To appease them, Mizar betrayed his heart and turned on his best friend, and after a brutal battle, the dragon was defeated. Now without the dragon to defend them, the village was ruthlessly attacked. The shaman was an imposter sent by the village's enemies. He turned Mizar and the villagers against the dragon.'

"So you see Kite, Mizar's legend is the reason why I tested you. I needed to see that you would follow your heart, unlike Mizar. He ignored his heart and betrayed the noble dragon, leading his village to fall into ruin."

"Silence you fool!" Mizar burst out, standing on the roof of the temple.

"No," Jinlon gasped, "it can't be!"

"Well, look who it is," Kite sneered as Mizar jumped to the ground.

"Mizar," addressed Jinlon, "it _is_ you; I sense it. After all this time, you're unchanged. My form is different, but you know who I am."

"Enough, old man!" the blonde snarled as his Barian aura flared and he sent shockwaves at Jinlon, forcing him back. I used my own power to block it from the others. "How dare you imply that I was once a filthy human?!"

"Hey, what's your problem?!" shouted Yuma.

"Mizar," the Galaxy-Eyes master demanded as he approached his rival. "You skipped out on our last duel, and I want a rematch." The spirit of Neo Photon agreed.

"For once we agree," the opposing blonde replied. "Because the time has come for you to fall to my Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon." The spirit of Neo Tachyon was also eager to fight. But the mountain started shaking and splintering around us. "This place trembles at my power," the Barian observed. "Our duel must wait; but this is _not_ over." He disappeared into an Overlay Network, fleeing the crumbling mountain.

Next thing we all knew, we were safe on one of the rock spikes, on which Yuma found another King's Coin; Jinlon seemed to have vanished.

 _ **Fellow duelists,**_ Jinlon's voice rang out. **_There is more to my tale. From afar, the dragon looked down upon the destroyed village and wept. It vowed never to let such tragedy strike again. The name of that dragon was Dragluon._** A golden dragon appeared. **_But when I take human form, I am known as Jinlon. When duelists win a Mythyrian Number, they gain great power. Before granting it to you, I needed to see that you'd follow your heart; and indeed you do. You've proven yourself worthy._**

"And you've taught me so much," Kite muttered.

 ** _I have one final lesson to teach you. Long ago, I bore witness to an epic battle between the forces of good and evil. The combat waged fiercely for 100 days and 100 nights. Fire rained onto the ground, and lightning split the land as the two forces collided. Then, in the end, vanished without a trace._** I heard Astral's thoughts and memories.

 _Yes, I remember now. I have battled against the Barians before._

 _**Kite,**_ Dragluon ended as he turned into a card that floated to the blonde. ** _I entrust you with this Number. Foolish battles only lead the world to destruction. Learn from the past so you are not doomed to repeat it._** Afterwards, I **Shadow Summoned** monsters to bring us down; there was no way we were climbing down the mountain from its height.

"So where were you during the duel?" Shark inquired to me once we were in the ship heading home.

"You'd be surprised at how much I found out," I replied. "Trust me..."


	6. Some Were Troublesome

The next morning, I decided to pick up Shadow and drop by Yuma's house. I had to lie about me talking with Mizar at Temple Draghos, saying that everything I learned was read from his memories. But it was for a good cause; if I'd told them the truth, I'd definitely be labeled a backstabber and booted from the crew. We slept in the ship's barracks during the Mythyrian Number hunts so we could be in and out as quick as we could.

From what I was hearing mentally and physically, Kari wasn't happy about Yuma not coming home. Personally, I couldn't make anything out from all the mental cacophony in Yuma's living room. I barely had enough time to make decent purple crystal gravestones for my parents last night and get enough sleep for today. Shadow didn't seem to like all the noise, either. But when Kari had Yuma in a chokehold, I finally spoke up.

"Go easy on your brother, Kari. Things have been hectic enough lately without family matters." Kari turned to glare at me, slightly easing on the chokehold.

"Well, who asked for your opinion? Besides, don't _you_ have family that also worries about you?" I shrugged, unwavering under her gaze and meeting it with my own.

"Not exactly. Technically, I've been a family of one for a long time time now; at least eight -"

 _"Hi, Haru; hi, Yuma,"_ a voice from the TV interrupted. We all looked to see an old man on the screen.

"Hey, check it out," Yuma choked out. "That's Master Roku."

"So that's who he is," I muttered. Figures I had to wait this long to know what he looks like. The woman on the TV cleared her throat and continued.

 _"On the grounds of Mr. Roku's duel sanctuary, a stone statue honoring the famous warrior, Commander Kiraku, has recently been unearthed. And it's causing quite a local sensation..."_ It showed a picture of the life-sized statue, and its face looked quite familiar.

"I've seen that face before," Tori uttered. It then showed a close-up of the statue's face.

"Is that who I think it is?" I asked, knowing who the statue looked like.

"It's Girag!" Tori and Yuma exclaimed in unison. Roku talked about how Kiraku defeated corrupt leaders, divided the spoils of war among his subjects, and how his generosity was celebrated.

"That's Girag's face," Yuma confirmed. "No doubt about it." On the TV, Kaze was holding a briefcase holding a few other objects. He opened it, revealing carved items made of several precious stones and metals; at the center of it was another King's Coin. "I think that's one of my dad's coins," Yuma gasped.

"I'm certain that it is," Astral commented.

"How?"

"The map that displayed the location of the Mythyrian Numbers indicated that one was at the duel sanctuary."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Yuma dashed out the door again, with Tori and me in close pursuit. I had Shadow on my shoulder so I wouldn't have to worry. Good thing, too, because I was a lot faster than Yuma and Tori; although that must've been because I have eight years of experience with running. It wasn't long before I was far ahead of them, bound to get up to the sanctuary first.

While we were on our way to the sanctuary, I felt something while we were crossing the bridge. There was something in the waters surrounding Heartland City and its surrounding forests and suburbs. I felt three familiar minds, but couldn't look into it at the moment. As I continued to the sanctuary, I decided to investigate later. Heading for the trees instead of the stairs, I continued my way up, leaping from the branches.

When Shadow and I reached the sanctuary, I jumped down from the trees to the pathway that led inside. I could sense Girag's mind inside the room in which the statue was housed, as well as the less prominent presence of Don Thousand. He was pretty confused, having seen how the statue looks exactly like him. With silent, feather-light footsteps, I sneaked inside as Shadow jumped off my shoulder and tread beside me. We followed the sounds of both mental and physical voices, to a room that had its doors wide open. I stayed hidden, watching from behind the doorway, and my cat stayed in the shadows of the doors. In that room, the statue was standing, with Girag sitting on the floor in front of it. He seemed awfully shocked, and I could feel another mind _inside the statue_.

"It _talks_!" the large Barian gasped in fright as he dashed from the room, his foot just missing Shadow's tail. To our shock and surprise, the statue started hopping after him, also missing my cat as she jumped back up to my shoulder. We followed the statue back to the entrance to see that it tackled Girag and was rolling down the stairs. I could sense Tori, Yuma, and Astral's minds further down, with the statue and Barian rolling toward them fast. I ran beside the staircase to catch up to them without trouble.

By the time I reached the others, I saw Yuma, Girag, and the statue sprawled on a platform. Tori and Astral were with Yuma. There was something strange about Girag and the statue, besides the two looking nearly identical. I felt Girag's mind in the statue, and an unreadable mind in Girag's real body. The strange, high-pitched laughing - too high for Girag, in fact - from the Barian's body added to my suspicions.

"Finally," the new voice giggled. "Finally, I'm free!" We all looked at Girag's rising form, stunned and confused.

"Girag," Yuma addressed; no response. "Girag!" The body of the Barian turned to face us, with a strange red nose and whiskers one would normally see on an animal. Shadow probably took the face as an insult, because she started hissing at the guy.

"Who?"

"Quit fooling around!" Girag ignored him and started down the stairs. "Hey, wait! Stop! It's me, Yuma Tsukumo."

"And don't you recognize me?" I added in inquiry. "Star Choseki?" The Barian turned back around, with no flicker of recognition in his abnormal, coal-black eyes.

"Oh, I'm honored to meet you, Mr. Tsukumo," it bowed politely to Yuma. "And you, Miss Choseki: Queen of Forgotten Souls. Now, please excuse me." I staggered slightly, extremely confused at what the new voice called me. Yurei Kuin - Yurei, for short - came up beside me.

 _ **He addresses you by that title because you are the Ghost Queen, Star,**_ she explained. _**There is not a Barian in that body, but the soul of the Number Guardian.**_ That explained the strange voice, personality, and difficulty in reading his mind. The Number Guardian addressed me as royalty; just like what Jinlon said about me yesterday.

 ** _Hold it!_** we heard shouting from the statue, in Girag's voice. It rattled and shook around until it was standing up, opening familiar, orange eyes. ** _Give me back my body!_**

"Did you guys hear that?" Yuma asked, not believing his eyes or ears.

"How can a statue _talk_?" Tori questioned in turn.

 ** _I ain't no statue,_** the stone denied. _ **It's me, Girag!**_

"That's messed up," Yuma gaped.

"How could this have happened?" Tori persisted.

 ** _I don't know,_** Girag answered honestly, ** _b_** ** _ut I got sucked into this statue somehow! The me that's over there is a Number Guardian!_** Tori and Yuma both yelped out of surprise.

"So, the real Girag's a statue? And the statue's the real Girag?" Yuma concluded in uncertainty. " _Ack!_ That can't be!"

 _ **Oh no? I'll prove it to you.**_ ** _You always swipe food from that girl's lunch box when she's not looking. I know 'cause I've_ seen _you do it!_** Tori sneered toward Yuma.

"And I kept blaming my mother for not giving me enough to eat!" she yelled in his face. But the second she realizes her words, she rethinks her statement without even needing to see my disapproving look. _Oops. I forgot you almost never had enough to eat for a long time, Star. Guess my mouth was going faster than my head back there; sorry._

"W-who are you gonna believe, Tori?" Yuma stammered. "Me or some big, ugly talking stone statue?"

 ** _And you'd_ better _believe I didn't forget about our duel,_** the sealed Barian persisted. ** _I_ crushed _you with Giant Hand, remember?_** Yuma and Tori gasped as I witnessed the memories Girag was describing.

"Then you really _are_ Girag," Yuma concluded softly. The Number Guardian started giggling.

"Yes, that's right," it confirmed. "We exchanged places. So from now on, I'm Commander Kiraku."

"But how'd you exchange places?" demanded Yuma.

"I've been trapped inside of that stone statue for a very long time, waiting for the day when I could be free again. And the moment Commander Kiraku appeared before me, I knew that day was today."

"It seems that the legendary Commander Kiraku really _is_ Girag," Astral finalized. The Barian in question turned to face Yuma.

 ** _Yuma, you gotta beat him in a duel and make him gimme my body back,_** he plead.

"Why would I want to help _you_?" Yuma asked in turn.

 ** _'_** ** _Cause he has a Number._**

"Yuma," Astral addressed. "If he has a Number, we must do it."

"You're right," agreed Yuma. He looked over to the Number Guardian. "Listen up, whoever you are. Get ready to duel!"

"If that's what you want," it replied. "I waited a long time for my freedom. And I'm not giving it up now!"

"All right then," Yuma accepted, readying his d-pad and d-gazer while the Number Guardian did the same with Girag's usual gear. Tori and I synced into the duel, along with Girag in his literally petrified state.

"You've got to win this, Yuma," Tori yelled to the younger duelist.

 ** _Yeah,_** agreed Girag. _ **Please.**_

"Well, _this_ should be fun," mused the Number Guardian as he took first draw. He summoned his lvl 2 Baby Raccoon Ponpoko - which looked like a tiny raccoon playing a drum. Tori thought it was cute, given her thoughts and cooing at the small creature. I couldn't hear her too clearly with Shadow still throwing a hissy fit. The Guardian then activated his Leaf Transformation spell, letting him summon lvl 2 Baby Raccoon Tantann - another drum-playing raccoon. Both Astral and Yuma were guessing that the Guardian would use them to Xyz summon, perhaps the Mythyrian Number. They both were correct when the Guardian used them to Xyz summon rank 2 Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu. He activated the monster's ability, using an OLU to summon a Kagemusha Raccoon Token, which has the same atk as Sandayu; it also causes any attack to be directed at Kagemusha instead of Sandayu. With that, the Guardian ended his turn.

Yuma took his draw, grinning when he got a good card. He set a card facedown, which must've confused his opponent. The Guardian's eyes started pulsing with energy, which I was certain was a bad thing. Before I could warn Yuma, I watched as the Guardian switched bodies with Yuma, setting Yuma's mind in Girag's body and his own mind in Yuma's. Yuma's body slumped for a second, puzzling Astral behind him. Yuma's face grew whiskers as the ones on Girag's face vanished. Yuma's mind was also perplexed seeing his body on the other side of the duel. He soon panicked, going off like fireworks.

Meanwhile, the Guardian could see the card that Yuma originally put down, summoning a lvl 4 Toy Knight afterward. Yuma tried to get Tori and Astral to believe him while in Girag's body. Crying, Yuma confessed he does swipe from Tori's lunch - which Tori suggested they discuss after the duel. Shadow hissed louder and jumped onto the ground, hissing and spitting at the Mythyrian as the Guardian summoned Yuma's lvl 4 Dododo Witch. He tributed the two monsters to summon lvl 8 Dododo Swordsman. He then activated Monster Reborn to revive Toy Knight. He activated the Guard Plus spell to tribute Toy Knight and give its atk to Dododo Swordsman as def. Swordsmen gained 200 def for a grand total of 2200 def, which wasn't at all helpful for it having no atk whatsoever; Yuma voiced my frustrated thoughts. The Guardian had Swordsmen attack Kagemusha, switching bodies with Yuma again after calling the attack. Kagemusha destroyed Swordsmen and dealt Yuma 1000 damage, throwing him back as his LP dropped to 3000. Yuma jumped back to his feet, glaring at his opponent.

"Okay, whatever you are, enough is enough," Yuma yelled. "What's your story, huh?"

"I was Kiraku's body double," the Guardian replied. "His 'shadow warrior.'" We all looked at the Guardian in confusion and intrigue.

"'Shadow warrior?'"

"Kiraku was a hero, and all the people loved him. But they never knew that it was actually me. Who would've thought the greatest, most fearless warrior of their time was actually a raccoon?"

"A _raccoon_?" we all echoed in confusion. Yin and Yurei came out beside me.

 ** _That explains the mischief,_** Yin mused.

 ** _But that still leaves why he regarded you with such respect, Star,_** Yurei added. **_H_** _ **e's no ghost, so he can't be one of your subjects. Of course, spirit raccoons can be tricky little creatures.**_

"Kiraku and I first met on the battlefield," the "raccoon" continued. "I had been caught in a fierce battle. When it was over, he saw me and saved me. To repay him, I used my powers and transformed into Kiraku, and became his double, his 'shadow warrior.' I battled in his place. I was strong and clever. I won his wars, conquered his enemies, and the people hailed me as the hero. But he became suspicious and jealous of my power, so he sent me away. When Kiraku finally went into battle himself, he lost everything. If he'd only trusted me, I would've won. He deserved what he got. Eventually, I followed Kiraku into the Great Beyond. But I found myself trapped. My soul was destined to spend eternity sealed inside that lifeless statue of Kiraku. I refuse to be a shadow! I will be a real warrior!"

 ** _You're a thief!_** Girag protested. ** _Yuma, you gotta beat him and get my body back!_** Astral reminded Yuma about the Number as well.

"Hey you, listen up," Yuma called to the shadow warrior. "I'm not a big fan of Girag. He's a bully, a cheater, and a liar. And those are the _good_ things."

 ** _Wait,_** **_did he... WHAT?! Keep your comments to yourself!_** he shouted, hopping on the ground in rage as Tori and I sweatdropped.

"But see, the thing is," Yuma continued, "I still can't bring myself to punish him."

"You don't have to punish Kiraku," the Guardian responded. "I dislike him enough for both of us." He took his draw and activated Sandayu's ability to summon another Kagemusha. He sent Sandayu and one Kagemusha to attack Yuma directly, bringing Yuma's LP to 1000. But when the final Kagemusha was about to attack, Yuma activated his Burst Rebirth trap to trade half his LP for a facedown monster in defense mode: Dododo Swordsman. The Guardian called off the attack and set one facedown to end his turn.

Yuma took his draw and brought his Swordsman into attack mode, causing it to gain atk equal to the difference between the duelists' LP: 3500. Swordsman could also instantly annihilate two monsters, allowing him to destroy both Kagemusha Tokens. Yuma had his monster attack Sandayu, while memories true to the Guardian's words began surfacing in Girag's mind. Said Guardian activated the Raccoon Reversal trap to destroy Swordsman and deal damage equal to his atk. Unfortunately for him, Yuma sent his Chow Chow Chan to the Graveyard to negate the trap's effect and use it against the Guardian. Sandayu was destroyed, and Yuma's opponent took 1000 damage. To finish him off, Swordsman attacked directly with Brimming Blade, reducing the Guardian's LP to zero. (Thank the God cards Shadow also finally calmed down once the duel ended.)

 ** _Ponta!_** cried Girag as the Guardian hit the ground. That was apparently the spirit raccoon's name. Girag hopped over to the Guardian, who thought himself as a failure. ** _You're not a failure, you're my friend. It's been a long time, Ponta._**

"Am I hearing what I think I'm hearing?" Yuma asked as I picked up my cat.

"Girag really is Commander Kiraku after all," Tori awed.

"Why did you send me away?" Ponta asked his former master.

 ** _Because I knew that final battle would end in defeat._**

"No! You _know_ that's a lie! If you had only let me lead the troops -"

 ** _No, the nobles who didn't like the fact that I was distributing their riches to the poor plotted against me. By the time I realized, there was nothing I could do to defeat them. I knew I had to make sure that you would survive and be free._**

"You should never have done that," Ponta admonished, tears filling his eyes. "I would've rather been with you to the very end, fighting by your side! A friend never leaves a friend. If we battled together, I know we could've won!" He turned to the rest of us and approached Yuma. "I want you to have the Number. Thank you for reuniting the two of us." Astral took the Mythyrian from Ponta, and Girag's body fell to its knees as the raccoon's spirit exited the body. But I could see, in Girag's mind, That Don Thousand seized control. Everything Girag said before was the truth, but the deity covered it in an absolutely horrendous lie.

 ** _Oh my little furry friend,_** he began. ** _You fool! You think I actually cared about you?! I faked it so I could get my body back! I sent you away once, and I'll do it again!_** The statue crumbled and freed Girag's spirit, whose eyes were glowing red with the possession. His spirit grabbed Ponta's and reentered his body. "You all fell for that stupid story of me trying to save this furball? That just proves how dumb you all are! You better get ready for the next time we meet, Yuma, 'cause it'll be the last time." Girag disappeared into an Overlay Network, while Yuma grew determined to beat the large Barian. Yuma, Tori, and Astral left, leaving me and Shadow.

"That was a _low kick,_ Don Thousand," I growled out, slightly tightening my grip on Shadow as my Phantom aura blazed. "You _never_ mess with a Phantom; _especially_ one who knows your intentions."

* * *

That night, I returned to the bridge where I felt those familiar minds from that morning. Shadow was riding on my shoulder as I stopped where I felt those minds. I felt them again, and the main emotion I sensed was recognition. The jewel on my bracelet flashed, and I lifted my wrist to tap the crystal. The holographic screen came up again, and I saw three unforgettable faces: the Arclight brothers.

"What in the Shadow Realm are you guys doing down in the water?!" I whispered harshly.

 _"Nice to see you, too, Ghost Girl,"_ Quattro smirked.

 _"We've been keeping an eye out for Barian activity,"_ Trey explained. _"While you were gone, we prepared this submarine so we couldn't be detected easily."_

 _"Though you discovering us is only to be expected, Star,"_ Quinton added. _"We used those moon shards you gave us to hold our father's Crest, as well as a means of communication."_ They each held up their wrists, letting me see the moon shards in bracelets they wore.

 _"Am I the only one who notices that your eyes have changed and you suddenly have a cat?"_ demanded Quattro, who apparently noticed those said changes.

"This is how my eyes should look like, Puppet Master," I hissed. "And Shadow was basically a gift from my parents."

 _"Very nice._ _Speaking of gifts, did you get that package I sent you about a month ago?"_ Quinton inquired.

I nodded. "Yeah, I got it. And thank you for the package. I'll keep an eye on things with Yuma and the crew for now. If something happens, I'll give you guys a heads-up. Deal?"

 _"_ _Sounds like a fair plan,"_ Quinton agreed. His brothers nodded in agreement.

"Great. I should get back home now. See you guys," I concluded as I signed off. Feeling satisfied, Shadow and I went back home.


	7. Others Were Just Mean

The next morning, I used a Gateway to get to the airship. Something was telling me something bad was going to happen, and this morning was no help. Shadow had somehow gotten out of the house while I was asleep, and I was getting worried. Arcana Force XV: the Fiend didn't get enough rest that day and conked out in the middle of night-watch duty (should've remembered the poor spirit had insomnia). Shadow left the house, probably through an open window. I waited in the ship until everyone else was ready for the hunt. When they all got here, we reviewed what Mythyrians we'll be looking for next.

"This is the location of the final ruins," Astral explained, showing the location on the holographic map, where two lights hovered over the middle of the Pacific. "The sixth and seventh Mythyrian Numbers are there. These ruins may provide clues on uncovering the identities of the final two Barian emperors."

"Sounds like a big deal," Shark commented. "Is Kite gonna join us?"

"No," Yuma replied. "He said there was something he wanted to check out, but he didn't tell me what it was."

"It's got to be Mizar," the Shark-duelist believed.

"Wouldn't be surprised if it was," I added.

"Well even if we're a man down, we can totally handle the job," Yuma encouraged us.

"Hopefully we will not have to 'handle' anything and finding the Numbers will prove easy," Astral assumed. Tori agreed with him.

"Since when does _anything_ come easy?" I asked, raising a brow.

"It doesn't matter if it's impossible," Yuma grinned. "We're gonna get 'em no matter what!" He ran up to the driver's wheel. "Better buckle up, 'cause I'm putting the pedal to the metal!" Two familiar minds caught my attention.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a bit," I told them. "Uh, Shadow left the house last night, and I'm hoping to probably find her." Yuma and the others were okay with it, and I went through a Gateway to whoever caught my interest.

I exited the Gateway to find myself atop a structure. None other than Dumon and Mizar a few yards in front of me, standing near the edge. I walked up to join them, and they both nodded to me in greeting as I did likewise.

"The legend contained within that Mythyrian Number claimed you used to be human," Dumon relayed to the blonde.

"I am a Barian, I could never have been a human," Mizar denied, but he had a faraway look in his eye. "That legend is nothing more than a fairytale."

"And yet, the Number Guardians beg to differ," I countered.

"I am done with trying to find these Mythyrian Numbers," the blonde decided.

"However you may feel about those stories, we still need those Numbers to protect Barian world," Dumon reminded. "And if they can help me find our two missing comrades, it's even more important to find them right now."

"Such loyalty that you display is an admirable quality, Dumon," I complimented before the two Barians vanished. I suddenly realized that one of my visions came true: the one I had the first day I was here. This structure was actually quite a ways away from the Arclight residence, so the vision must've been viewed from a different angle than I had originally assumed. A flash blazed through my head and suddenly vanished.

 _That's never good,_ I thought, knowing instantly what it was. I fell on my knees as burning agony tore through my head, like white-hot metal piercing my skull. I clamped my mouth shut to keep from screaming in pain. I saw a small black form in a dark, confined space. The space looked to be made of gold, and the black form had a small, light blue crystal tied to it. It appeared to be asleep until the space started rattling around violently. The black form snapped its violet eyes open and stood up straight, head down, back arched, ears folded back, and fur standing on end. It was clearly Shadow, and wherever she was, she was scared. The image slowly faded, and the pain fell away. I realized that the confined space Shadow was in was somewhere in the airship. Wherever the others were, it must've been turbulent. I stood up and went into a Gateway to follow Yuma, Astral, Tori and the twins.

* * *

I left the vortex right above the airship, with a stormy ocean surging beneath. I stuck the landing on the deck and was about to run inside when I heard a voice.

 _ **Come,**_ a deep, strong voice ordered, seemingly from the water. **_Come. Come to me now._** A strange presence started to enter my mind. My powers reacted, somehow keeping the presence at bay.

 _Who are you? What do you want?_ I mentally demanded. The voice only continued telling me to come to it. This presence was far different from Yurei; it sounded masculine, and didn't take control right away like she did. I saw Rio slowly walking out of the cockpit, eyes dazed and vacant, her mind blank and controlled by the presence that was still trying to control me. "Rio, what are you doing?" I demanded. No response. She only walked to the edge of the ship, where I was only about a yard away. I grabbed her as she tried going over the edge, hearing Shark calling out to his sister. He ran up to me, worried about his twin.

 ** _Come!_** the voice suddenly shouted as a powerful shock zipped through my body and head. The pain forced me to let go of Rio, and she fell into the surging waves below. Shark instantly dove into the water in pursuit. Yuma and Astral ran up did the same while Tori and I stayed behind.

"YUMA!" Tori screamed, fearing for her best friend.

 ** _Such atrocity_** ** _!_** Yin hissed as she came out, eyes narrowed and tail lashing about. ** _That Number Guardian attempted to possess you, as Yurei did before! He even succeeded in possessing poor Rio!_** Yin sighed deeply to calm herself down. ** _For all duel monsters, - regardless of type, attribute, or power - willful possession of another being is an almost unforgivable crime. The same goes for openly endangering life of any kind. Remember how Yurei took control of you back at Spartan City? She didn't know she was until the end of the tag duel; she already apologized for it. One of the Mythyrians down there took control of Rio using commands as if he were a god manipulating a mere puppet._** I understood the point Yin was making, and she returned to her card for the time being.

 ****I remembered my vision and went inside the ship. I looked through most of the ship, but didn't find anything. I stopped when I heard sounds coming from the airship's engines that wouldn't normally come from there. I looked inside to see Shadow in there, hiding. I carefully reached in and picked her up. Shadow recognized me and allowed me to bring her out. By the time I got back out, the storm was gone, and Tori was still on the deck, waiting. I walked up next to her again.

"Look who I found," I spoke, breaking the silence. Tori turned to me, slightly surprised that Shadow was in my arms. "This little stowaway was hiding in the engines." Tori looked back into the water.

"Where can they be?" she asked. "We should've heard something by now, unless they're unable to -" I suddenly sensed Dumon's mind, and a ball of energy flew straight for us! It stopped right in front of us, and Tori yelped and backed into me, causing Shadow to yowl in protest. I moved beside Tori as the ball turned white. The ball of energy disappeared, revealing Dumon's Barian form. "You're Dumon," Tori remembered.

"If you and you're friends are here, it must mean there is a Number somewhere nearby," he guessed.

"I don't know anything about Numbers!" Tori defended, turning aggressive. "All I know is when we got here, they jumped into the ocean."

"The ocean?" the Barian echoed, looking down into the water. The energy ball appeared around him again and he dove into the waves.

"Get back here!" I shouted as he disappeared into the sea. I growled in frustration. "Tori, hold Shadow for me. Something's weird here, and I need to follow Dumon to know what he's up to."

"Um... okay," Tori complied, taking Shadow from me; my cat didn't seem too bothered by the exchange.

"I'll be right back," I assured her before climbing over the edge.

I dropped into the water and followed Dumon's energy ball, which was glowing like a beacon underwater. Good thing I could swim fast, because he wasn't letting up on his speed. I followed him until I saw lights below the bottom. Dumon used his power to put a hole in the barrier that separated the bottom of the sea from the undersea ruins. When I was close enough, I was pulled into the miniature whirlpool the draining hole made. I fell into a stone labyrinth just behind Dumon, with Yuma and Astral in front.

"Yuma, Astral," Dumon began. "I have been following you, as your Phantom friend did to me. I cannot allow you to have any more Numbers."

"Than you'd better find some way to stop me," challenged Yuma as I went to the side, wringing the water from my hair.

"You are an opponent I will eventually have to defeat. And what better time than right now."

"But, Dumon," Yuma halted. "I'm not so sure we're enemies."

"Why would you doubt that?"

"Because you saved us," Yuma stated simply as he recalled the hunt for the first Mythyrian. "Back there at the underground temple. If it wasn't for you, I don't think we would've made it."

"You misunderstand my actions. From the very beginning, it has been our destiny to battle."

"Doubtful," I commented, frowning.

"Yeah, that's not true, Dumon," Yuma agreed with my statement. "I put two and two together, and the legends say that you were humans just like me. So the way I see it, you and your pals should be my friends, not my enemies. I know you feel the same."

"You do not know what you speak of," the gray-eyed Barian denied. "Anyone who believes we used to be humans is clearly mistaken!"

"Oh, come on!" I protested. "Now you're acting like Mizar!"

"But make no mistake about this," Dumon continued, "Barian world is the mortal enemy of Astral world."

"What's the beef between you two?" Yuma demanded. "Do you even know why you're going after each other?" Dumon and Astral stopped cold.

"Nope and double nope," I answered for them, reading their minds. "That's the main issue here: both of you know _what_ you're trying to do and _who_ you're up against, but none of you know _why_."

"The _why_ is not important," Dumon glared. "What's important is my mission: to destroy Astral world."

"I, too, have a mission," Astral added. "To destroy Barian world."

"The time for talking has passed. It is time for us to duel." Dumon stood back, ready to duel.

"Dumon, before you battle, we want to ask you one question," Astral paused. "There are seven Barian emperors; there are two we have yet to meet. Who are they?"

"They are Marin and Nash, the leader of the seven Barian Emperors." Yuma and Astral looked up, eyes widening as shock entered their minds.

"Hey, look up there!" Yuma yelped. Dumon and I followed their gaze up to a stone tower. "What _is_ that?" I could see Shark and Rio dueling at the top of the tower, but I couldn't detect Rio's mind; she was still being controlled by that duel spirit. "It's Shark!"

"It appears he is engaged in a duel with someone," Astral observed.

"It's Rio," Yuma realized. "This can't be good."

"Why would they duel each other here?" Dumon asked.

"A Number Guardian has possessed Rio," I explained. "Since that's considered a crime in the Shadow Realm, Yin's pretty ticked about it."

"You are lucky that more pressing matters have come up," Dumon told Yuma and Astral. "I will deal with you another time." He used his Barian power to fly off, with Yuma attempting to give chase. Unfortunately, he slipped in the thin layer of water on the labyrinth's floor and fell backwards.

"That's right!" he taunted from the ground. "Fly away like the chicken you are! Come on, Astral, Star; we gotta get to Shark and Rio."

"But in order to do that, we need to escape from this labyrinth," Astral reminded. Yin instantly came out and swept me up to her back.

 ** _Well I'm not going to wait for you to find an exit,_** she hissed. ** _That duel spirit possessing Rio ought to be sent to the Graveyard for this!_** I gave the two boys an apologetic look as Yin flew off towards the tower. By the time we got there, we caught up with Dumon as he hovered above the duel. I was confused at why Rio was dressed like some kind of royal priestess. She had on a white dress decorated with gold and certain jewels, also wearing a white long hood held in place by a gold circlet. She was even wearing white heeled sandals, similar to the ones she wore at Spartan City.

"I know this particular Guardian's ticking you off to no end, girl," I assured my ace, "but you've let your temper explode enough already." Yin warbled in slight defiance, but otherwise held her black, forked tongue. We watched as the Guardian, through Rio, Xyz summoned Number 73: Abyss Splash, in an explosion of power beyond what would be considered normal. Out from the explosion stepped a Water-attribute monster that looked as if it were an oceanic god. The sapphire on its helmet started glowing like a beacon, pulsing at everyone who was here.

* * *

I was suddenly alongside Yin in my phantomized form. We were at a battle scene, over the ocean at sunset. Broken and splintered wooden warships were scattered through the water, with only a small fleet still intact on each side. One had red flags bearing a black skull and blade; the other had blue flags with a crest that looked much like a Barian symbol. The form of Abyss Splash hovered on the side of those with the red flags, eyes glowing white.

 ** _Look at the leaders of each side,_** Yin commanded. I looked to the red-flagged fleet and saw none other than my own past demon: Vector. I turned to the leader of the blue-flagged fleet and met an even more surprising sight: someone who looked amazingly like Shark - it _was_ Shark, believing that the Guardian Abyss was playing mind games with him. I could even sense a mind nearly identical to Rio's in the direction of the castle from which the fleet of blue flags came. However, in Rio's mind was a tinge of Don Thousand's influence.

 _With that mighty warrior by Vector's side, we cannot win,_ I heard from Rio's mind at the castle. _Our land will be doomed, unless I do what needs to be done._

"That sounds ominous," I remarked. But Abyss Splash suddenly firing beams from his scepter at Shark's fleet and stronghold yanked my attention back to the fight. The guards on Shark's side were terrified, and concerned for their ruler. A bay horse started racing over the bridge to the battle, being ridden by Rio. Shark was crying out for his sister as she dismounted and approached the oceanic warrior, but another light appeared before we could know what happened next.

* * *

Riding Yin and beside Dumon, we were back at the duel after that flash. _Now_ I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of an **Umbral Reveal**. Rio, still in her medieval clothing, was suddenly glowing with an aquamarine aura, floating in midair with her eyes closed. She _really_ looked like a puppet with her arms stretched out the way they were. Shark was really scared at this point, as Rio wasn't responding to him.

 ** _Reginald Kastle,_** I heard in the voice of Abyss. ** _I must know if you are the one I seek. And to do that, I must unleash my full power. Witness the true form of Abyss._** The aura surrounding Rio led down to a materializing form that became a near doppelganger of Abyss Splash, just without the helmet and with a d-pad instead of a scepter. Yin flew into a rage, letting out a shriek-like roar towards the Guardian. Abyss' eyes narrowed at me and my ace dragon, paying almost no mind to Yin's dragonic wrath. He only activated Abyss Splash's ability, using an OLU to double its atk. Shark only had 200 LP left. The guardian had Number 73 attack Shark's Depth Shark with Final Fall. The purple-haired duelist activated his Hide and Shark trap to give up half his LP and banish his monster and end the battle, since his LP was less than 2000. His LP became 100, but Hide and Shark's other effect returned Depth Shark to the field with 100 more atk to add up to 1500 atk. Abyss commended the opposing duelist for his resilience, but threatened that he wouldn't be victorious in the duel as another flash came.

* * *

I was back at the battle scene in phantomized form and alongside Yin. I saw that Abyss Splash had held Rio in the grip of his giant, blue-skinned hand.

"It would be a good idea for you to surrender now," Vector suggested with a dark cackle. "If you don't, your sister's going for a nice, long swim." A black void appeared under the aquatic warrior as he opened his hand above the void. A shrill whinny was suddenly heard as the Pegasus flew to the battle, with the past form of Dumon riding its back.

 _What's Dumon doing here?_ Shark mentally asked himself.

"Why are you so surprised, my friend?" the knight asked. "Didn't you know that I would come to your aid when you got into trouble?"

"I didn't know that you were my friend," Shark remarked in reply.

"What are you waiting for?! Fire!" Vector commanded his archers. Arrows flew at Dumon's past form and Pegasus, but they dodged the barrage with impressive aerial agility. "Make your choice!" Vector shouted to Shark. "Do you want to save your sister or your people?" Shark sneered in disgust at the insane prince, who - much to my surprise - was being controlled by Don Thousand.

"Do not fret, my brother," Rio comforted, standing up in Abyss' palm, "for I shall make the choice for you."

 ** _You mustn't, Marin!_** a feminine voice cried from within the void. An ice-blue goddess bearing the number 94 stood waist-deep in the swirling vortex. ** _You need only to call my name to let me purify Abyss! Please listen to me, my priestess; remain in the land of the living with your brother Nash! Do not let the Chaos Lord get inside your head! My husband has been tainted by the blood sacrifice of the mad prince!_**

 ** _Poor Crystal,_** Yin sympathized. ** _She didn't want that dear maiden to fall victim to the Chaos Lord's will._**

 ****"Rio," Shark called to his sister. "You can't mean..." he trailed off, fearing the worst.

"I do, brother," confirmed Rio with a soft, sad smile. "I will offer up my own soul to Abyss." Rio closed her eyes and fell off Abyss' hand into the void. In a blinding light from the void, Crystal rose from the blackness.

 ** _You offered yourself to aid me in saving my husband, Marin,_** the goddess relayed sadly. ** _Even if there was another way for it to happen, you submitted to the Chaos Lord and allowed him to influence you. If only I had come to you sooner..._**

* * *

 ** _That dear friend of mine was never the same when Chaos took away her priestess,_** Yin explained as we were returned to the duel. ** _Marin was the only friend she ever had in this world._** Shark fell to his knees, in pure shock at what the memories showed him.

"Could it be I wasn't able to save my sister?" Shark asked the thin air.

 ** _And history will repeat itself when you fail to save your sister once again,_** Abyss boomed as Rio's unconscious form floated above another void. ** _Your journey is over, as is Rio's. I no longer have need for her. Take a good look at your sister, Reginald Kastle, for this is the last time you will ever see her._** He let go of Rio, and she began to fall. Yin was ready to fly in and catch her, but Yuma quickly took action and jumped over the swirling void beneath. He succeeded in grabbing Rio before she fell into the vortex and fell safely to the ground on a ledge, away from the vanishing void. A card appeared in Shark's hand, which Yin easily recognized.

 ** _You monster!_** Yin snarled at the Guardian as I sighed in relief. ** _You are a disgrace to your kind, Abyss! Leave the twins alone like the others have their friends!_** The aquatic god looked up at my raging dragoness.

 _ **This does not concern you, Yinlong,**_ Abyss criticized. _**You have no place in this duel. As for you, young Phantom: you impress me by resisting my control. But you, like your race, have no place in this battle. Reginald Kastle, if you can defeat me now, you will regain your memories and lead the world as its rightful ruler.**_

 __"You be quiet!" Shark burst out. "The only thing I'm gonna rule is this duel!"

He took his draw and equipped the spell Aqua Mirage to Depth Shark to make it count as two monsters in an Xyz summon. He also activated Monster Reborn to revive Black Ray Lancer. Shark then activated the Full-Armored Xyz trap, so that when he summons an Xyz monster, he can equip it with another monster on his field. He overlaid Depth Shark and Aqua Mirage to Xyz summon Number 94: Crystal Zero, the other Mythyrian Number in these ruins. Full-Armored Xyz let Shark equip Black Ray Lancer to Crystal, raising her atk to 4300. Abyss activated his respective Number's effect again, using Abyss Splash's other OLU to double its atk to 4800. But Shark used Crystal's Crystal Eraser ability, and used both OLUs to remove half of Abyss Splash's atk twice, lowering it to 1200. Shark had Crystal attack with Crystal Javelin, destroying Abyss Splash and dropping Abyss' LP to zero.

"Why?" Shark asked the Guardian. "Why did you do this to me and Rio?"

 ** _I only followed your orders, Reginald,_** Abyss replied simply, shocking both me and Yin. ** _Your orders to awaken your memories._** Abyss faded into mist, and I felt Dumon's mind disappear.

 ** _That doesn't excuse Abyss' wrongdoings,_** my dragoness growled. Next thing Yin and I knew, we were all back on the ship with Tori and Shadow, and Yin was back in spirit form as I stood on the deck.

"Yuma, you're back!" Tori greeted. _Don't worry Star, Shadow mostly napped the whole time you guys were gone._ Waking up, Shadow jumped from Tori's arms back into mine, purring with glee. Shark was suddenly frantic and looked around him until he gasped.

"No, Rio!" he yelped, causing us to follow his gaze. There, back in her normal clothes but completely unconscious, was Rio.


	8. But Things Only Worsened

(Star dreaming) _In a space of Shadow mist, I was standing in front of my parents. Not the soulless monsters that terrorized me for eight years, but the kind parents that truly cared for me when I was young._

 _"Star," Mom began. "Our poor, precious Ghost Crystal. I dearly hope, with all my heart, that you can forgive us."_

 _"For everything that we did to you," Dad explained. "We ignored the visions that pressed against us, and you reaped the consequences at the hands of our heartless shells."_

 _"You're my parents," I replied. "Of course I forgive you;_ both _of you. I miss you, Mom and Dad. I wish you were here, with all the friends I made and those you had."_

 _"Fate didn't allow us to be there with you all these years," Mom stated, looking down._

 _"But there is still one last gift we wish for you to have," Dad added. "We were intending to give it to you when we were supposed to return to Heartland, on your seventeenth birthday. It is hidden in a closet; we kept it preserved there, especially for you."_

 _"But which one?" I asked them both. "There are several closets in our home."_

 _"It's hidden deep within yours," my father replied. You'll know it when you find it. We promise you, you'll like it."_

 _"And always remember, Star, we love you," Mom completed as they faded away._

* * *

(Star) I woke up to find that it was so early it was practically still nighttime, so I turned up the light in the moon globe in my room. I was exhausted from when I got home, having spent a good few hours lecturing Yin about the ruins and Fiend for refusing to rest. But something told me that what my parents said in my dream was true. I climbed out of bed and looked into my wooden closet, which had a medieval appearance. Save for my usual outfit, nightwear, and the dress Tori and Rio forced me into at Spartan City, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. But there was something, way in the back of the closet, that I noticed once I looked more closely. I reached in and grabbed the top of the object and pulled it out. The dust seemed to cleanly fall off the object as I brought it into the light.

I found an entire outfit attached to a hanger. There was a pure white short-sleeve shirt with matching white leggings. Along with it was a long, solid deep violet trench coat that had a folded-down collar and a purple, diamond-shaped crystal button on the chest outlined in silver. I also found two knee-high violet boots that each had a silver band around the top. The outfit and boots were covered in plastic, to preserve them and keep them clean. Removing the plastic, I put on the clothes that I found, wearing the trench coat over the white shirt and leggings. After putting on the boots and coat, I looked at myself in the mirror. The length of the coat reached my ankles like my hair. There was strange nostalgia, seeing myself wearing the final gift my parents left for me. Disrupting the silence, Yurei came out of her card, looking frantic.

 ** _Number 96 is running wild!_** she reported. ** _He's attacking Astral world so ferociously that Barian World and Earth are also afflicted._** I nodded and went to the main room of the house, turning on the TV. Changing to the news channel, the news reported of violent eruptions from dormant volcanoes, blizzards in tropical regions, and violent earthquakes in places where they almost never happen.

"If it's this bad, 96 must be itching to get rid of Astral," I remarked. Yurei agreed, returning to her card. Turning off the TV, I left the house and went back to the bridge to tell the brothers what had happened. Rio was sent to the hospital when we came back yesterday. After being possessed by a duel spirit for only a few hours at best, she should've woken up last night. (Crystal must be _lashing out_ at her husband for what Abyss pulled in the ruins.) The moment I reached the edge of the bridge, strange black particles fell from the sky. When one fell into my hand, I felt a jolt of pain, like a really strong static shock. I looked up into the sky to see swirling dark clouds shooting off lightning. Sinister laughing echoed from the clouds in place of thunder; golden eyes glowed eerily in the swirl's center. The ground began shaking, and I was suddenly being lifted into the air.

"Hey! What gives?!" I cried as I was lifted into a sort of portal.

* * *

My poor head. Whatever dropped me did it on something pretty hard. I opened my eyes to find myself with Yuma, Astral, Tori, Shark, and Kite and Orbital. We were all sitting up on a Baria crystal floor, with crystal stalagmites sticking up around us and chunks of crystal floating above us. I sensed a dark omen in the air; you know, that unwelcoming, something-bad's-gonna-happen feeling that makes your skin crawl.

"Kite! Star!" Yuma called to us. "How'd you get here? And Star, what's with the getup?"

"Beats me," he replied as we were standing up.

"The clothes were basically my parents' final gift," I added. "But I don't know how I got here, either."

"And where is here?" Yuma asked us, looking around.

"My guess is some dimensional gap," I assumed, looking at the warping sky around us. Dark laughing suddenly broke out, and we looked to see 96 in his strengthened form.

 _ **"Well, look who it is,"**_ he smirked. _**"Yuma and Astral. I see you've brought some friends along for the fun. Though I didn't invite you, you're welcome to stay. I'll take your Numbers and dispose of you. But, you'll have to wait your turn."**_

"My deductions were correct," Astral stated, glaring at his dark counterpart. "You are the one causing havoc in both our worlds."

 _ **"Yes, I am,"**_ 96 confirmed, irises glowing red. _**"Look."**_ An image of a blue world being attacked by red energy was shown on the floor. _**"And I'm not just destroying your world, Astral. My unrelenting power is devastating Barian world as well."**_

"You are trying to destroy all our worlds?" Astral inquired.

 _ **"That's right. When I'm through, there'll be nothing left."**_

"Why would you _do_ that?!" demanded Yuma.

 _ **"Because I can,"**_ 96 answered simply. _**"Too bad you won't be around to see the end of everything."**_

"This guy means business," muttered Shark.

96 chuckled darkly. _**"Shall we get started? I've been looking forward to our rematch. Now say goodbye to your friends!"**_

"Why not fight your fellow Fiends?" I challenged the dark spirit. I tried to step forward, but something was gripping my ankle. I didn't even have to look down to know what it was, but did anyway.

 _Seriously,_ another _Baria crystal shackle? You have_ got _to be kidding me, Vector._

 ** _"Sounds like a silly challenge coming from you, girl,"_** 96 replied, **_"the Phantom who's chained down, just like she's supposed to be."_** The spirit created a Barian sphere field with his own power.

"Oh no," Kite murmured, fear entering everyone's minds. "That's a Barian sphere field."

"And none of us can help Yuma or Astral," I added in dismay.

"D-d-do you know who put that ch-chain there?" Orbital asked me.

"Vector; since this is the third time he did it," I replied, sneering. The other spectators grew shocked. "You heard right: third time. The first time was at Sargasso; I was stuck on a land chunk for around half the visit. The second time was the Labyrinth of Screams, where I watched the duel with Shark in a cage; gods, that was a pain." Lightning in the sphere field zapped Yuma and Astral. Tori called out to them, and Yurei came out.

 ** _96 has complete control over the field,_** she reported. ** _Utopia's duelists are both in great peril now._**

 ** _"_** You're telling me," I remarked quietly.

 _This field could hold the ultimate defeat,_ thought Astral, fearing the worst, _for me and for Yuma. We must not lose._ We couldn't hear the conversation within the field, but we could see Yuma and 96 preparing their d-pads.

"Uh, Star," Tori asked me, "who's that?" Tori, Shark, Kite, and Orbital were all staring at me and Yurei.

"You can see her?" I asked them, gesturing to my duel monster. They all nodded. "Well, this is Yurei Kuin: the duel spirit whose card I found back at Spartan City; she's a Ritual monster."

 ** _I unintentionally controlled her during the tag duel back there,_** she added, looking down in shame. ** _Star has me and my Ritual spell, proving she's the Ghost Queen now. Yin's on probation today for her temper exploding at the undersea ruins, so she's not here at the moment._**

Anyway, 96 took the first draw and summoned lvl 2 Malicevorous Spoon. He sent lvl 2 Malicevorous Knife to the Grave to summon lvl 2 Malicevorous Fork. He activated Spoon's ability to revive Knife, overlaying all three lvl 2 monsters to Xyz summon rank 2 Number 96: Dark Mist. (Basically the same thing he did back at Labyrinth of Screams.) From what I could see in Yuma and Astral's thoughts, they also noticed the repeated tactic. But different from last time, 96 immediately used Barian's Force to Rank-Up his connected monster into rank 3 Chaos Number 96: Dark Storm. He set a facedown to end his turn.

Yuma drew his card and summoned lvl 4 Gogogo Golem, also special summoning lvl 4 Doggy Diver. He overlaid them to Xyz summon rank 4 Utopia. A small bolt of lightning zapped him, but he got back up without much trouble. _It's time I get even better,_ I heard him think as he activated Numeron Force to Rank-Up Utopia into rank 5 Utopia Ray Victory, as well as disable Dark Storm during the remainder of his turn. Unfortunately, 96 activated his Chaos Bringer trap to send all of Utopia Ray Victory's OLUs to the Graveyard, and let 96 add a field spell from his deck to his hand: Chaos Field. Finally, Chaos Bringer prevents Yuma's ace from attacking during the turn. Yuma grudgingly set a facedown to end his turn.

96 drew and activated his Chaos Field spell, causing more Baria crystal spikes to shoot from the ground and surround the sphere field. By sending a Chaos OLU to the Grave, a random Number from Yuma's extra deck loses its abilities and is summoned to 96's field. When 96 took one of Yuma's Numbers, I heard a roar I remembered even three months after I first saw it: rank 4 Number 69: Heraldry Crest.

"That was Vetrix's most powerful monster," Kite recalled.

"And I took a beating when I fought that monster," I added. "According to his sons, I was knocked out for four days."

Shark crossed his arms. "Number 96 is going to take all of Yuma's Numbers one by one."

96 activated Chaos Field's other effect to Rank-Up Heraldry Crest into rank 5 Chaos Number 69: Heraldry Crest of Horror. He then activated Crest of Horror's ability, using a Chaos OLU to gain Utopia Ray Victory's atk and effects, raising its atk from 4000 to 6800. 96 ordered Crest of Horror to attack, but Yuma activated the Number Spellcaster trap to tribute his Number to activate a spell in his deck. He tributed Utopia Ray Victory to activate Swords of Burning Light to prevent 96 from attacking so long as Yuma had no monsters on his field. The black spirit set a facedown to end his turn, sending lightning to shock Yuma.

"That was a smart play," Kite complimented.

"Yeah," agreed Shark, "but I don't see how they can get out of this one." All three of them were evidently worried about Yuma, and I was still upset that I couldn't break off the shackle.

Yuma took his draw and thought, _P_ _erfect._ Yuma made his turn a short one, setting a facedown and ending his turn.

96 drew and activated Chaos Field's effect to use a Chaos OLU from Dark Storm to steal another of Yuma's Numbers, this time being rank 9 Number 92: Heart-eartH Dragon. The additional effect of the field spell caused Heart-eartH Dragon to Rank-Up into rank 10 Chaos Number 92: Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon. 96 activated Chaos Dragon's ability, using a Chaos OLU to disable all cards on Yuma's field until the end of the turn. Another bolt of lightning hit Yuma so hard, he spaced out. He began daydreaming of meeting Astral near his home for a duel after getting detention at school. In the daydream, Astral entrusted the Numbers to Yuma and vanished, which was when he snapped back to reality, still confused.

"Yuma looks out of it," Tori observed.

"It must be the power of the sphere field," Kite assumed. "All those shocks are sapping his energy."

 _Clueless little twerp,_ I heard Vector's thoughts sticking out. _He doesn't know what he's up against here. But it is fun to watch. It's agony for them in that Barian sphere field, as it is for that Phantom to be chained down. And I'm sure the worst is still to come._

 _Souls of the Forgotten,_ I mentally called, _ambush_ _the demon of my past and free me._ The violet Souls flooded from my deck and ghosted over the crystal platform, staying out of sight. I sensed pain coming from where I heard Vector's thoughts, indicating the Souls found him and attacked. I yanked my foot away from the chain, and the shackle snapped and disintegrated as 96 ordered Crest of Horror to attack Yuma and Astral directly. The Souls weakened Vector and kept him from getting any ideas as they returned to their card.

"This is bad," Shark commented, fear growing in his mind. "With this attack, it's game over."

Yuma brought out his Gagaga Gardna to defend him, losing Swords of Burning Light in the process. Using his monster's effect Yuma sent Bacon Saver to the Grave to protect Gagaga Gardna, though he still took 2500 damage, reducing his LP to 1500 as Tori called out in fright. 96 then sent Dark Storm to attack Gardna, using its effect to use its final Chaos OLU to steal Gardna's atk, raising Dark Storm's atk from 1000 to 2500. Yuma activated Bacon Saver's effect from the Graveyard, banishing it so he wouldn't take any damage. 96 finally ordered Chaos Dragon to attack, destroying Gardna and dealing Yuma and Astral 1000 damage, reducing their LP to 500. I sensed their pain as they flew back and banged the spikes of crystal, which zapped them badly. 96 activated Chaos Dragon's ability, adding the 3500 damage Yuma and Astral took to 96's LP, raising it from 4000 to 7500.

"That's gonna make him almost unbeatable," Kite noticed.

"And Yuma and Astral are almost unconscious from the pain they've been taking," I added, scanning the two.

"I'll still take you down!" Yuma yelled at the dark spirit. "You know why? Because it's me and Astral. We have a bond that nobody can break." The pain was too much for Yuma; his overall strength collapsed, and so did he. Tori called out his name in fear.

"Yuma," Astral frowned. "You have exhausted yourself. You must rest for a while." Yuma's eyes slowly opened as he struggled to hold onto whatever energy he had left.

"What're you... talking about?" he asked. "I don't need any rest. I'm totally..." he remained on the ground, unable to get up. Tori started crying, upset and guilty that she couldn't help.

"Yuma, leave the rest to me," Astral commanded, preparing his own d-pad and taking Yuma's deck. "Number 96, you have caused enough harm here today. It is time for your reign to come to an end. Prepare for your defeat, because I am feeling the flow!" The Astral being looked down at his friend. "Yuma, please know that I will always be there to high-five the sky with you. Now, Number 96, let's duel!"

 ** _"Fine by me,"_** replied 96. ** _"The little kid wasn't much of a challenge anyway. Hopefully, you won't disappoint me."_** 96 activated the Number Karma spell, which deals 500 damage if Astral doesn't have a Number on his field at the end of the turn, setting a facedown to end his turn. And to our dismay, that was all the LP he had left.

"It's over," Shark stated.

"Not if Astral summons a Number on his next turn," countered Kite.

 _I must summon a Number to avoid defeat,_ Astral contemplated. _Fortunately, Number Return lets me call back a Number from my Graveyard. Which one shall I choose? Currently in our Graveyard, we have Utopia, Heraldry Crest, and Heart-eartH Dragon. I know in my heart what I must choose. It is time to feel the flow._

Astral drew and activated the Number Return trap to resurrect one of his Numbers.

"Will he pick Heraldry Crest?" Kite wondered aloud.

"Or go with Heart-eartH Dragon?" Shark inquired.

"Astral will likely choose the Number he started out with," I answered. I was right when Astral selected Utopia, using the other two Numbers as Utopia's OLUs.

 ** _"With two more powerful Numbers in your Graveyard, you take Utopia?!"_** asked 96, on the verge of laughter.

"For sure!" Yuma grinned from the ground. "39's always been our lucky Number; right Astral? No matter how bad things get, Utopia's always there for us. That means a lot to me and Astral. We believe in Utopia, and Utopia believes in us!" The winged warrior in question glowed in agreement.

96 snorted. ** _"Well, I believe that putting your faith in friendship leads to jealousy, suspicion, and betrayal. If you're smart, you'll all forget that sentimental mumbo-jumbo, so you'll never be let down again! Just look at me! I never depend on anyone but myself; my power is all that I ever will need!"_**

 ****"Well, I once thought the same way you do now," I spoke up. "When I was little, I put my trust in someone and was betrayed almost _on the spot_. For eight years I took the punishment and guilt that came after watching my parents become soulless Dead-Hearts. But I realized what it meant to have friends when I returned to Heartland: the home that my family never should've left! Now, my friends - people and spirits alike - are the only family I have!" Many of my Fiends shot from my deck: Necra; Wretched Ghost; Caius the Shadow Monarch; Souls of the Forgotten; and Zure, Knight of the Dark World, to name a few. They all came out and cut down about half of the crystal spikes that disintegrated the moment they were disconnected.

"She's right!" exclaimed Yuma. "Having friends and working together's not mumbo-jumbo! Being part of a team, part of something bigger and more important than yourself, that makes everybody better. It makes everybody stronger. It makes life mean something!" Yuma and Astral's aura's synergized as their souls overlaid, and they formed their Zexal Morph. Zexal Chaos-evolved Utopia into Utopia Ray. It triggered 96's trap Number Lockdown to cripple Utopia Ray from attacking or using its effects, and would destroy it at the end of the turn and deal its atk as damage.

"That's more than enough to finish 'em off," growled Shark.

"He better think fast," Kite added. Yuma activated Xyz Treasure to draw four cards, since four Xyz monsters were on the field. Yuma and Astral performed a Shining Draw with all four cards they drew. The morph activated the Utopian Hope spell to free the chained monster. Zexal activated Utopia Ray's effect, using three OLUs to give the monster 1500 more atk while dropping the atk of Crest of Horror by 3000. He summoned lvl 4 ZW Sleipnir Mail, equipping it to Utopia Ray to give it 1000 more atk, for a grand total of 5000. He then activated the Overtake Summon spell to use Dark Storm's last Chaos OLU to summon rank 4 ZW Asura Strike. The creature also equipped to Yuma's Chaos Number, raising Utopia Ray's atk to 6000 and allowing it to attack all three of 96's monsters at once.

"96 may have a ton of LP," Kite smiled.

"But this'll crush him," Shark finished. The morph ordered Utopia Ray to attack only to be met by 96's Chaos Alliance trap, so all three of his monsters had the same atk as Dark Storm: 2500. Even so, Utopia Ray continued its Rising Sun Asura Divider and obliterated Crest of Horror and Chaos Dragon, leaving only Dark Storm remaining as 96's LP dropped to 500. Thanks to Sleipnir Mail's ability, there wasn't going to be a relapse of what happened in Labyrinth of Screams as it made Utopia Ray's atk equal to Dark Storms. Sleipnir Mail's other effect resurrected the original Utopia and had it attack 96 directly, reducing the dark spirit's LP to zero. All of my Fiends returned to their cards, and the morph fell to his knees, exhausted by the duel.

 ** _"Astral!"_** shouted 96 as he stood up. ** _"You can't get rid of me_ that _easily. You may have won the duel, but I still have enough power to finish you once and for all!"_** Just when we thought it was over, 96's body became a javelin of Chaos energy that flung itself at the Zexal Morph. Astral used his power to split the morph in a blinding light; I detected horrifying agony from Astral, but not from Yuma. When the light faded, we were met with an equally horrifying sight: Astral pierced through the chest by the javelin that melted into his body. Astral turned half-dark, just like in Sargasso. The Baria crystal floor splintered, and Astral fought against his darker half. **_"Yuma, your friend can't help you anymore,"_** 96's voice echoed. ** _"In fact, he can't even help himself now! I will destroy everything; you, your friends, everything!"_**

 _I will not let this happen,_ Astral thought firmly. _Yuma, it will be okay._ Astral blazed with blue light, consuming the Dark Number in an enormous explosion. When the dust cleared, we saw 96 was gone, and a flickering Astral hovered over a chasm created by the explosion he caused.

"Astral!" Yuma called, running to his friend. "Astral?"

 _"Yuma, I am glad you are safe,"_ the spirit smiled softly, his voice strange and echoing.

"You totally got rid of Number 96," Yuma complimented. "But we were supposed to beat him together."

 _"I could not take the chance and risk your safety."_

"What? We're a team."

 _"Yes, we are; and friends. And I will always treasure our friendship. You have shown me again and again its real meaning, and how precious a bond it truly is. Now I must go, my friend. Take care of the Numbers."_

"No," Yuma asserted, starting to cry. "No! Astral, you can't go. We need each other too much! _I_ need you, Astral. Don't go!" Astral's body slowly became a shower of sparks from the feet up as he reached out his hand, smiling sadly. "Wait, Astral! Astral! Don't leave me! Astral!" Every part of the Astral being became stardust as Astral muttered his final goodbye, his mind vanishing like his body. My mind flashed back to when I lost my parents. The stardust flew down the chasm as Yuma continued to call out to his extraterrestrial friend, and a bright flash exploded from the key.

* * *

We were all suddenly back on the Heartland pier. Tori was on her knees, crying into her hand. Kite, Orbital, and Shark were overcome with grief, looking away from Yuma out of sadness. I looked down in sadness, holding back my tears.

"Yurei," I muttered, "are there any new subjects in the kingdom?" The white-clothed spirit came out and shook her head sadly.

 ** _I'm sorry, but no,_** she sadly replied. _**Wherever Astral's spirit may be, I am unable to reach him.**_


	9. When a Friend Disappeared

The next day, I visited Yuma's house with Shadow to see how he was holding up after Astral's disappearance, since the key vanished with his friend. I sensed a worried Tori inside - probably came to check on her old friend. By the time I reached the room under the attic, I saw an irritated Kari yelling up the ladder. From Yuma, I sensed extreme depression, and the memory of watching Astral vanish kept replaying in his mind.

"Yuma? Hey, Yuma! You better come down pronto or I'm calling Bronk to munch on all your lunch!" No response. " _Yuma!_ I know you can hear me; even _Grandma_ can hear me." _Why is my idiot brother still up there? When he came home last night, he just hid up in his room without so much as saying hello._

"Hey, Kari," Tori interrupted, "is Yuma still in his room?"

Kari nodded sadly. "I've tried to get him down all day, but he's not budging. Even _food_ threats aren't working."

"And knowing Yuma, if food doesn't get him out of a slump, we know we have a problem," I relayed.

"He's still upset," Tori murmured. "Poor guy."

* * *

The next day, Tori and I went to see how Shark was holding up with his twin in the hospital again. I had to leave Shadow at home because no unauthorized animals were allowed there; besides, Rio's fear of cats wouldn't help any. Tori brought a small bouquet of yellow and white lilies to Rio's hospital room. Shark was hunched over his sister's bed, radiating sadness, confusion, and anxiety.

"Hey there, Shark," she greeted as the door opened. She showed him the flowers. "Here; I got them for Rio."

"Great, thanks," he replied stiffly, not bothering to face us. "Put them on the table." Tori complied and placed them on the side table, next to a wilting vase of tulips.

"I asked Yuma to come, but ever since Astral disappeared, he refuses to leave his room," Tori informed glumly. "I've never seen him so down before."

"Sorry, Tori," Shark apologized, "but Yuma's problems are the last thing on my mind right now."

"I understand," I whispered. "You're worried about her; so are we. We'll be in the lobby if you need us." Tori complied, following me back down to the lobby. We stayed there until visiting hours were over, then left.

* * *

That evening, the SSNHIC was having a potluck dinner at Yuma's house in an attempt to get him out of the attic. I brought along some homemade pasta with meat sauce to the occasion. Haru even brought up some Duel Fuel.

"Delish!" Tori exclaimed happily as she tasted some of the food. "You guys have to try my homemade chicken a la Tori; it's out of this world!"

"But it's not as yummy as my rice dish," Cathy countered. "I used cat food to give it extra flavor!"

"You'd best leave that to feline customers, Cathy," I suggested. "Anyways, you can try my pasta with special homemade meat-sauce; it's a gift from the stars."

"Check it," Bronk spoke up, holding up some sort of badge. "It's a nifty new badge I designed for our Super Secret Number Card Investigation Club. I made one for each of you." (Guess they changed the club name when I didn't realize it. Oh well.)

"That's not bad, Bronk," Flip complimented. "But set your sights on these super rare mega-powerful cards I picked up for us downtown."

"Yeah, well, I brought you guys a bunch of tickets for the new Kuriboh Coaster that's guaranteed to make you lose your lunch," Caswell grinned. Personally, I'm not one for roller coasters; the adventure I've had since coming here is plenty. Even with the exciting gifts, Yuma didn't come down; not even a thought of interest came from him. Everyone turned back to the fact that Astral's gone, the atmosphere turning sad. Cathy's cat-ear hairstyle drooped, and Tori began tearing up as the boys looked down sadly.

I growled in frustration. "Enough is enough," I muttered, bringing up my bracelet and tapping at the jewel. The screen came up, but all I got was static. "Come on, come on, pick up, pick up, pick up," I muttered harshly.

"What are you doing?" Cathy asked.

"I'm trying to call a few friends," I replied. "At this point, we need all hands on deck; it doesn't matter what they did before. But who I'm trying to call is _not picking up_." I sighed and stood up, canceling the call on my wristlet. "Looks like I'll have to talk to them personally." I ran from the house to the bridge, with the gang following me. I phantomized upon reaching the bridge.

"Star, what do you think you're doing?!" Bronk called. "Don't drown yourself in the water! And what's with the ghost form?"

"It's called phantomization," I explained. "In this form, I don't physically breathe; therefore, I don't drown. Who I was trying to call is down in the water anyway. Don't worry, I'll be back." They hesitated, but soon complied and nodded. With that, I dove into the water.

I searched for the Arclight brothers, using their minds as homing beacons. I came across an enormous submarine, decorated with the shape of Vetrix's crest. I phased into the ship to see the brothers, who were surprised at my phantomized form. I landed carefully on the floor of the submarine, reverting to my normal appearance.

"Star," Quinton addressed. "What are you doing here?"

"And what's with the new look?" Quattro asked, eyeing my coat. _Now you_ really _look like my brother's shadow brought to life._

"Now's not the best time for humor," I stated, glaring at Quattro. "We have a big problem. We've just finished our hunts for the seven Mythyrian Numbers - a mission that appears to have been left by Kazuma Tsukumo himself. The Barians gave us minor issues, but nothing serious. However, the last hunt gave us more trouble than usual: the Number Guardian possessed Rio and almost killed her. Now she's unconscious and back in the hospital; she should've woken up by now, but she hasn't - Shark's pretty vexed about it. And after a duel with the perpetually pesky Number 96, Astral's disappeared without a trace. Yuma isn't taking it too well; he refuses to leave his room, and not even food threats are driving him out."

"So, the rumors are true," Quinton confirmed. "Astral has vanished from the human world, which means the Barians will attack with even greater ferocity. It's time for us to sweep into action." He turned to his youngest brother. "Your job will be to look after Yuma."

Trey smiled and saluted. "Yes, brother." The submarine surfaced near the bridge for Trey to climb out. As he left, Quinton wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

 _You did right in telling us what happened,_ he commended, smiling softly. _We've been studying the conflict between Barian and Astral world since you left. In truth, I've been having visions similar to your own. Some have come in seizures, but three repeating ones have come through dreams. I fear that those dream-visions will soon come to fruition. You will need to help Trey and Yuma's friends. When I need you again, I will call._ I nodded, and he let me go to leave the submarine and head home.

* * *

During lunch at HLA the next day, we all met at the water tower. Yuma, to our dismay, stayed home.

"Guys, listen to this," Bronk started, using his d-pad to check a news website. "A bunch of duelists got their memories wiped out."

"Messing with minds is a Barian specialty," Flip recalled, remembering when people were brainwashed by Barian's Force.

"If you ask me, the Super Secret Number Card Investigation Club should get to the bottom of this mystery," Caswell suggested.

"You know, that could be the perfect way to get Yuma out of his funk," Tori smiled, turning determined. "When he finds out, he'll want to get in on the action."

"Then let's go solve the Mystery of Lost Memories," Bronk grinned, standing up.

"We'll have Yuma de-funked in no time!" Cathy exclaimed. The club all unanimously agreed and planned to start investigating tonight. Yin and Yurei both came out looking skeptical and worried.

 ** _I don't believe that's a good idea,_** Yin countered.

 ** _For all they know, it could be a trap,_** Yurei considered. But lunch period ended for them, and they all left for class before I could say anything.

* * *

That evening, I followed the SSNCIC to Heartland Memorial Hall. I melted into my own shadow to not be seen. I felt two almost-familiar minds in the Hall, and they felt dark and dangerous. Trailing them down a corridor, I saw busts of Mr. Heartland alternating along the sides. Something didn't feel right about the place, and I didn't like it.

"In the end, this is the best spot to begin our investigation," Caswell stated quietly. "The news said that several duelists were found unconscious right around here."

"Be ready to pounce," Cathy warned, hands up like claws.

"Eyes open, people," warned Bronk.

"'Cause you never know where a Barian might pop up," Flip added.

"Bring him on," Tori challenged, holding a frying pan. "If he tries to steal my memories, I'll give him something he won't forget." Cruel laughing echoed through the hall, and one of the dark minds in the Hall got extremely close. I looked to see the man from one of my dream-visions right behind the group.

"I think you're looking for me," he assumed, his glasses gleaming. His form turned into that of a giant humanoid cicada as he drained Tori and the others of all their memories. He didn't see me, and he pulled the catatonic group further down the hall. I followed him, being extra quiet, as he approached the other dark mind.

"Those are Yuma Tsukumo's friends," I heard a rehearsed, almost relaxed voice. "I'm very impressed, Erazor. We can keep them as hostages to get Yuma's Numbers." Erazor reverted to human form as I saw Mr. Heartland, dressed in a white suit with a walking stick.

"That makes these kids the catch of the day," Erazor smirked. "I could go 'ghost-hunting' if you want me to. But since there are no more Phantoms in this city, why bother?" Heartland made a sort of fly with Barian power and sent it off while Erazor set Yuma's friends against a wall. Once that was done, Erazor teleported to the pedestal of Heartland's statue, sitting down at the statue's feet. I saw Trey hiding in the rubble, so I rushed over to him, shrouded in shadows. When next to Trey and safely hiding in the rubble, I exited the shadows. I noticed he was holding a sword that he was thinking of throwing at Heartland if he tried anything with Yuma and/or his friends.

 _Weren't you going to bring a weapon?_ he asked in thoughts. _After all, I have this sword._ I nodded and held out my hand, concentrating on the shape of my spear; the weapon soon crystallized in my hand. _That must be the same spear you used to fight Heraldry Crest,_ he realized. I nodded again in response, and heard Yuma's mind coming in fast.

 _Don't worry guys, I'm on my way!_ his mind shouted for his friends.

 _He's coming,_ I telepathically informed Trey. Within seconds, the former amateur duelist came rushing in, rage towards his foe clear in his thoughts.

"Yuma Tsukumo," Heartland greeted, "thanks for coming."

"Heartland! What've you done with Tori and the others?!" Yuma demanded.

"They're taking a time out," Heartland replied, looking over at where the amnesic teens sat.

"Flip! Tori! Caswell! Somebody answer me!" he cried to his friends, but no response came. "What did you do to them, Heartland?!"

"He didn't do a thing," Erazor answered from his perch, directing Yuma's attention to him. "I deserve all the credit. I was feeling some hunger pangs, so I feasted on your buddies' memories."

"Who are you?" Yuma asked, confusion replacing a fraction of his anger.

"I'm Erazor," the man in question replied. "You'll have to battle me if you want to get your friends' memories back. But if you lose, I get your Numbers. Of course, I have no doubt that I'll crush you completely. I look forward to watching you crumble to your knees once you realize you not only lost all your Numbers, but failed your friends as well!"

 _If I agree to duel him,_ Yuma relayed, _I'll risk all the Numbers I've gathered. But if I turn him down, Tori and the others will never get their memories back. There's a lot riding on this duel. What if I can't hack it. After all, I'll be dueling alone. Astral, I'm not sure I can beat this guy without you here._

"So, we dueling?" Erazor inquired, interrupting Yuma's train of thought.

"Give him a break, Erazor," Heartland admonished his old friend. "You shouldn't put so much pressure on Yuma. After all this isn't really _his_ fight. The battle for the Numbers is between the Barians and Astral world. It doesn't concern humans. Why should this poor kid be forced to take sides? Now that Astral's gone, there's no reason for you to worry about the fate of the Numbers, is there, Yuma? Let me make this easy for you, my friend. Just hand over your Numbers; I promise the Barians will never bother you or your friends again. Your friends' memories will be restored, of course; promise. And if you like, I can also arrange to have your memories of Astral completely erased. Some memories are simply too painful to bear. Just think of how pleasant your life would be if you could forget him. All the sadness you feel over Astral's loss will be instantly wiped away. It'll be as if he never even existed." Yuma reached for his deck case, causing Trey and me to grow nervous.

 ** _You mustn't, Yuma,_** I heard a deep, calm voice; Utopia's spirit emerged behind Yuma. ** _Have hope that Astral will return, safe and sound. Remember that I and the other Numbers are your friends. All of your friends are here for you, and we want you, Astral, and your human friends to be safe._** Yuma considered the words of Heartland, who I know was lying about the Barians leaving Earth alone if Yuma handed them the Numbers.

"I won't do it!" Yuma decided. "Every memory I have of Astral is important to me; the good ones, and even the bad ones! The Numbers are more than just cards to me, because in some way, they hold all the adventures and battles I shared with him. Astral trusted me to hold onto the Numbers and keep them safe. And I'm not letting him down! That's why I'd _never_ turn the Numbers over to you!" The Numbers' spirits appeared behind Yuma, agreeing with his statement. I nodded at Trey, signifying that it was time.

"Way to tell 'em, Yuma!" Trey and I shouted as we jumped out of hiding. Trey hurled his sword at the white-suited ex-mayor, who teleported to dodge the sharp blade as it punctured the ground. I javelin-threw my spear at Erazor; he moved his head out of the way so my spear pierced the leg of the statue. Trey and I landed in front of Yuma.

"It's Trey," Heartland recognized. "And... Marina?"

"No, not my mother," I denied, "my name is Star. I'm the last surviving member of my family, ready to punish you for what you've done to my family and my race!"

"Trey, Star, what're you doing here?" Yuma asked.

"Simple," Trey replied, "we saw you were in trouble and came to help. Now that Astral's gone, it's clear you're going to need some backup. Anyone who tries to harm you will have to get past yours truly."

"How did you know about Astral?"

"My brothers and I have been following the conflict between Astral world and Barian world closely; Star also gave us the play-by-play. That's how we learned about Astral's fate. I'm sorry, Yuma. Losing a friend is never easy. Listen, I know you feel sad and alone right now, but remember you have friends like us who will stand beside you."

"You're right, I'm not alone," Yuma agreed, smiling again.

Heartland laughed in amusement. "What feeble adversaries. Now we're up against _two_ runts and a _ghost_."

"Two runts who won't have any trouble defeating you, Heartland," Trey countered.

"And a ghost who knows perfectly well who you are," I added, glaring daggers at Heartland. "I also know, no matter the choice _now_ , this world will end up in the battle's crossfire one way or another. You were lying when you said Barian would leave Yuma and his friends alone!"

"Really," frowned Heartland, flustered at my mind-reading. "Then let's see how you handle my Stinging Swarm!" He used the Barian power he obtained to create what looked like a swarm of demonized flies. Trey and I raised our bracelets to the swarm, my power joining with that of Vetrix's crest to create a forcefield to shield us from the swarm. The pulsing disabled the bugs and made them fall lifelessly to the ground. "I thought the Crest's power was gone forever," Heartland assumed in confusion.

"Well, you thought wrong, Heartland," Trey clarified. "Quinton discovered a way to preserve the power my father shared with us, which I can now use to help Yuma." I should've known; those cuffs had Quinton written all over them; then again, I did give the moon shards to him.

"Whoa, you're gonna help me, Trey?" Yuma asked, still in shock that his old friend came back after three months. "Thanks, pal."

"I know that no one can replace Astral, but I'll give it my best shot. Before, when we dueled, you and I faced off as opponents. We used our cards and all the power we had to try and outduel each other. But now that we're teaming up, I'll share my power with you."

 _He's putting it all on the line, to help me,_ Yuma realized. He remembered that Astral told him to care for the Numbers; he opened his extra deck, pulling out two of the Numbers. Said cards were Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech, and Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis.

"My Number cards," Trey recognized.

"Astral trusted me to take care of the Numbers," Yuma explained, "which means he also trusted that I'd know what's best for 'em. You're using your power to help me, so I want to share what I have with you. If Astral were here, I'm sure he'd agree with me; it feels like the right thing to do." Trey smiled happily and accepted the cards.

"Sounds to me like you twerps are gonna try and put up a fight," Erazor observed. "Bad choice, but I won't stop you." He jumped down from the ledge. "If you like, I'll take you both on at once."

Trey glared determinedly. "Yuma and I could both beat you on our own, but if you insist..."

"Then we'll duel you together," Yuma finished. Trey, Yuma, and Erazor all readied their d-pads and gazers.

I snapped my fingers, causing my spear to vanish and return to my hand. I focused my power, and the tip of the spear glowed and morphed into the scythe-blade. "In the meantime, I have a few questions for you, Heartland. Don't try to run, or it's death by scythe!"

"Not so fast," Heartland interrupted. "Before we get things started, I insist on snazzing up the place." He snapped his fingers, causing the dead bugs on the ground to glow Barian red. I saw Don Thousand's Barian emblem lighting up on the ground. "My fellow creepy-crawlies will give this hall a Barian makeover. Now that you're dueling on enemy ground, Erazor's got the upper hand, especially since I give him the power to absorb half of your LP."

"You can't do that!" shouted Trey.

"Oh really? Just you watch me!" The emblems on the ground began draining my energy and that of the boys'. I went to my knees, leaning on the handle of my scythe. Yuma and Trey's LP halved, and Erazor's LP doubled as he transformed into his humanoid-cicada form in a huge explosion that destroyed Heartland's statue. I felt like I was going to involuntarily phantomize for a second from weakness, but the draining sensation stopped as fast as it started.

"I don't like this, Trey," Yuma warned his friend.

"Me either," Trey agreed. "This is totally _bugging_ me out!" With that, the boys began the duel.

"Now, let's get down to business," I began as I stood up, aiming my weapon at Heartland and driving him back. "You and Erazor thought I was my mother at first glance. Why did you see me that way? And just how well did you know my parents?"

"Your family was the most elusive target my crew and I ever searched for," Heartland replied, secretly wary of my scythe's blade. "And you look so much like your mother. Just how long has it been since you and your parents left?"

"I'm asking the questions here!" I hissed. "It's been fifteen years since my family left. Now, then, were there any other Phantom families in Heartland City besides mine?"

"There was only your mother's and your father's, as far as I recall."

"You lie," I replied coldly, eyes narrowed as I scanned Heartland's memories. "There were actually several other Phantom families. At least, until you drove it into people's heads that Phantoms were evil so that they'd kill my people. By the time there were only a few left, your friends started doing it themselves." A bright green light exploded from the duel, and I turned to see Erazor Xyz summoning Number 3: Cicada King. Once Erazor ended his turn, Yuma took his draw and recognized the card.

 _Double or Nothing. I used this the first time I met Astral, when I was battling Shark. I remember that duel like it was yesterday. We teamed up together and found a way to win. Astral may not be floating by my side right now, but I'm gonna make him proud no mater what._

"Face it, kid!" Heartland called to Yuma, assuming what he was thinking. "Without Astral to babysit you, you haven't got a chance!"

"Heartland, why don't you make like a heart and beat it! I've got a duel to win," Yuma sneered at the fancy-dressed man.

"And I still have a few questions," I added, readying my weapon as he tried getting away. I swung my scythe in a **Shadow Shockwave** that lightly grazed his arm and tailcoat. Heartland froze, slowly turning back to face me. "Back to business. Why would you want to be rid of a race that has done no wrong to anybody?"

"The answer is very simple," Heartland answered coolly, "you know too much. I know that you are capable of: you can rummage through people's memories and invade their privacy - talk about _intrusive_. You can see the future to know exactly what's going to happen, which you use to gain power among normal people. And you can speak to spirits in cards to turn them against their masters in favor of joining you. Worst of all, the queen of your people is able to wield magic that can obliterate cities like this one."

"I've lived long enough to prove I wouldn't destroy my home," I countered chillingly. "Mind-readers can easily learn people's true motives and whether they're lying or not. Seeing the future is used to help normal people get out of disastrous situations. Those who see duel spirits don't persuade them to betray their duelists, but to know what kind of person their duelist is. That way, if said duelist is possessed by something, the problem can be easily solved."

"Even so, you Phantoms keep throwing yourself into battles you have no place in. How can you explain yourself on _that_? Yuma does the same thing, and the poor sap doesn't have a clue what he's doing. He was nothing but a puppet all along. Now that Astral isn't around to pull his strings, the kid is completely lost."

"Quit putting down Yuma and remember who you're up against," I reminded Heartland as Trey Xyz summoned Chronomaly Machu Mech. "I've had enough out of you, so I suggest you leave my friends alone." I aimed a hand at Heartland and fired a **Shadow Stream** , blasting him into a wall. I dematerialized my scythe and walked over to Tori and the others. Their memories weren't erased, just pushed far beneath the surface as their energy was completely drained; that way, they couldn't put any energy into remembering anything. I raised a hand towards them and concentrated on the memories they shared, pulling them to the surface of their minds.

"Yuma," Tori called weakly as they slowly stood up, still partially in a trance.

"We believe in you, Yuma," Caswell murmured.

"Don't give up," Flip added.

"You can still win," whispered Cathy.

"Go for it," Bronk finished.

"Of course," I realized. "This is something I've seen in all the Barian emperors. Their memories aren't gone, they're just pushed beneath the surface. It should be reasonably easy to pull them to the surface." I concentrated harder, forcing up scenes of Yuma and Astral dueling against opponents of all kinds. But Erazor's power was keeping the majority of their memories down. I realized that as Trey Xyz summoned Chronomaly Atlandis. As he and Yuma dealt the final blow on Erazor, I stomped on his shadow, which was in reach. The pulsing of stomping his shadow along with losing the duel destroyed Erazor on the spot. Frustrated, Heartland went into an Overlay Network. Tori and the others regained their memories on their own, so I stopped dragging them up. They couldn't remember being captured, so Yuma and Trey filled them in. As a gift for his help, Yuma gave Cicada King to Trey. Since it was late at night, we all decided to go home.

 _Astral,_ Yuma thought as we all left, _I wish you could've seen my duel today. I was so broken up that you were gone, I almost gave up on everything. But now I see that with my friends beside me, anything is possible. Still, I miss you._


	10. Some Pests Came Up

(Star dreaming) _Kite was dueling against Heartland in the middle of the city. It was apparently Heartland, but in his Barian form, I barely recognized him. He looked like a repulsive cross between the infamous Thousand-Eyes Idol and some giant, ugly, beetle-like insect. The rest of the gang was watching the duel except for Yuma, Astral, and the Kastle twins. Quinton and I were ahead of the others in watching Kite, both of us looking worried._

 _Kite looked to be in a lot of pain, struggling to keep his footing. Quinton and I kept sending each other worried sideways glances; we both knew Kite wouldn't be able to hold up much longer. Our fears soon came to life as a sudden explosion of pain came from Kite, and he collapsed to the ground._

* * *

(Star) My eyes snapped open with a start, seeing that it was the afternoon. I was sitting in one of the couches in my living room, with my parents' journal in my lap. I mentally scolded myself for dozing off while I was reading - or _trying_ to read - the other journal entries. I guess I nodded off when I was on the last page a while earlier. Well, at least I went near the hospital this morning to mentally check in on Rio without dealing with the crowd that's usually in the lobby. Either way, I went back to reading the last entries in the journal.

 ** _Marina:_** _Mr. Heartland and his group of evildoers are trying even harder than ever to get rid of me, Tomo, and our little Star. Tomo and I have been making preparations to leave Heartland City for the time being. The duel spirits of the house are sure to protect it from anyone with malevolent intentions. They all promise that they'll recognize us when we return with our daughter. But it's such a shame Tomo has to leave his closest friend, Byron. It's even worse that Star must leave his oldest son, Chris. I believe that the two are to be destined soulmates, and should remain united. But these visions of us dying in Heartland City are too much to bear; we must leave before we are captured._

 _**Tomo:** It grieves me deeply to leave Byron and his sons. I know that Chris will surely miss my daughter; they've grown very close over the short time they were with each other. But are they really meant to be destined soulmates as Marina believes? After all, a soulmate bond is already rare enough; one involving a Phantom during these times is something that almost never happens._

 _Star, if you ever come to the point of reading this and we're not around, you must do this for Marina and me: grow strong enough to defeat your true foes. Make many friends and reunite with your soulmate, Christopher Arclight, in remembrance. Marina and I have prepared many gifts for you, in case you survived life away from Heartland City and we didn't. But if we are on the other side of the Realm when you find this journal, always know that you are a Phantom, and Phantoms are raised to fight for peace._

I teared up a little at my father's last bit of writing, despite already knowing about their gifts. I suppose I've already been living up to their wishes since I got here. I've made a good number of friends, reunited with Quinton, and stood up for and made a promise of peace. After putting the journal away and drying my eyes, I phantomized and returned to the Arclight submarine. Only Quinton was there as I entered and did the same thing as before.

"Star, have you had a vision today?" he asked.

I nodded. "I had a dream-vision just about an hour ago."

"I thought so; I also had a vision at the same time." That was strange; only Phantoms are supposed to have visions unless we really are soulmates. "Has one of our previous visions come true?"

"Yeah; last night, it all happened just how we both saw it. Don't worry, Quinton, no major problems came up. Yuma's friends are safe, and all their memories are accounted for."

"Good. Trey told me that he's staying at Yuma's house for the time being. Quattro's job as of now is to keep an eye on Shark and Rio without Shark's knowing; he was sent off very early this morning. If the next vision comes true, I fear it will happen in a short time."

"Tori's been keeping me posted about Rio," I added. "Ever since leaving the undersea ruins, there's been almost no change in her condition. There's been no change in Shark's mental state, either; he's still really upset and worried about his sister. I sensed it when I walked near the - agh!" Quinton and I stopped cold when we both sensed a strong surge of strange, dark power. "What was that?"

"Whatever it was, I doubt it's anything good," Quinton assumed, heading to the submarine's computer. He rang up Quattro on the screen.

 _"Now what?"_ Quattro asked when he answered.

"Quattro, you need to get to Heartland Hospital," Quinton commanded. "Something terrible is about to happen, if it hasn't already."

 _"Just great,_ now _you tell me it's urgent,"_ the Puppet Master groaned. _"Fine, I'm going. See you later."_ With that, he signed off.

 _At least he answered,_ Quinton mused to himself. _Kite hasn't been picking up lately. Almost every time I contacted them, Hart would answer instead of him._

"You're not the only one he's been ignoring," I added. "Besides the issue with Number 96, Kite hasn't been answering any of us ever since the Number hunt at Temple Draghos."

"The fabled temple in China?" Quinton asked in surprise. "Which of the Barians did that place mention?"

"Kite's Galaxy-Eyes rival," I answered. "The Barian's name is Mizar. Of all the Barians we've met so far, Mizar seems to be the only one refusing to believe the legend of his respective ruins. Each of them holds a story that appears to describe a time when one of the Barians were human. Not only does every legend have a tragic ending, but the ruins the legends were found in each had a Tsukumo King's Coin inside; the undersea ruins had two coins, since two Numbers were inside them." By the time I finished explaining, Quattro called back.

 _"Looks like you two were right. Trey, Tori, and Yuma said Rio's somehow been poisoned by a Barian. I think the doctors said something about toxins from a sea wasp. I'm trying to find Shark right now. Just in case this Barian has a Number, Yuma returned my Number cards."_

"Check the abandoned Kastle mansion," I suggested. "It a little out-of-the-way, but Shark and Rio once lived there, according to what I know about them. But be careful; if a Barian's also there, they'll most likely cheat if you challenge them to a duel."

 _"Sounds like a strange plan, but it's a start. I'll give your idea a shot, and if there's any trouble, I can take 'em. See ya, Ghost Girl."_ Quattro signed off again before I could scold him for calling me that.

"I told him not to call me that," I growled in annoyance.

"I've been telling him not to tease," Quinton sighed. "Then again, since when does Quattro listen to either of us?" We sighed simultaneously. "But a sea wasp - also known as the box jellyfish - is nothing to underestimate. If I recall correctly, it has a reputation as the deadliest fish in the world."

"If the vision's accurate, this Barian's name is Chironex," I added, "and his powers in poisons are almost exactly like the sea wasp. Similarly, Erazor - the Barian Trey and Yuma dueled - was just like a cicada."

"Have any of your monsters reported that Astral really is gone?"

"Unfortunately, no. All of my monsters have been going through the entire Shadow Realm with a fine-tooth comb ever since his disappearance. They keep hearing about something happening on Astral world from a bunch of strange monsters. According to reports, they look like all sorts of figures from Egyptian mythology, and say that their duelist is a powerful entity. I really hope that Astral is still alive somewhere, and that he can be reached."

The computer started beeping, indicating someone was calling; Quinton answered on the monitor. To both our surprise, it was from Kite, standing in some kind of strange laboratory.

 _"_ _Quinton, Star,"_ Kite addressed, seeing that I was with his former mentor. _"I've noticed something strange ever since our Mythyrian Number hunts. Before the hunt, you never knew the Numbers were even there. During the hunt for the Mythyrian Numbers, I noticed the signal from the Astral airship didn't target the Numbers; it was actually targeting the King's Coins Yuma found at all of them."_

"What's your point?" I asked.

 _"My theory is that there's something strange about those coins; something related to Astral world. However, I'll need one of them to know for sure. Quinton, come over to my location as soon as you can; I'm sending the coordinates to you now. Star, before you come to the location, I need you to secretly enter Yuma's house and get one of those coins; your stealth capabilities should help."_ A location on a map showed up on the monitor, and I recognized the land mass it was on.

"Wait; you want me to steal from Yuma's family and then head to Alaska?! After everything I've been through, I do _not_ like the cold!" I exclaimed. Kite's expression on the screen clearly stated he wasn't joking. "Fine, I'll do it; but if Kari or Yuma asks, it was your idea, Kite." The blonde rolled his eyes before signing off.

 _Kite, can't you ever fully explain yourself when you do things like this?_ Quinton asked in his thoughts. "Looks like Kite put us on a surprise mission," he commented. "I'm not fond of cold weather either, Star, but it appears we'll have to do this."

I sighed in exasperation before I phantomized to leave the submarine and head back to the bridge. I reverted once I was standing on it. Melting into my own shadow, I raced over to Yuma's house. I really didn't like to steal from anyone, especially if it was one of my friends. Nevertheless, I sneaked in through the open attic window, leaving the shadows. On the small crate in the corner that had a picture of Yuma's parents on it was the King's Coins, all in a small pile. Knowing I had to do it, I silently took one of the coins, disappearing into the shadows to leave through the window. I rushed into the forest where my house was so I wouldn't be easily seen. Remembering the coordinates, I opened and entered a **Shadow Gateway** to head to the location.

* * *

While in the vortex, I felt energy coursing through the coin; energy that was very similar to Astral's. When I was at the location, I was immediately greeted by a cold wind that nipped at my hands and face. I was standing in between two large buildings, and Kite and Quinton were in one of them. I walked into the building to see both of them, with Orbital, at a supercomputer.

"I have the coin, Kite," I spoke up as I approached them. "Now explain yourself. Why were Quinton and I called to the middle of an abandoned research facility in _Alaska_ , of all places?"

"We're here because the place is in a remote area, and the equipment might help us figure out exactly what happened to Astral," Kite replied, taking the coin from my hand. He put the coin in front of a scanner on the computer, and the results came out on a piece of paper. "And looks like I was right. These coins aren't made of real metal; they're just painted disks of Astralite, a mineral from Astral world."

"If he's correct, we can use the Astralite as a power source for the Interdimensional Teleporter Kite and Orbital have apparently been constructing," Quinton explained. "The necessary materials had been delivered from Heartland City by plane. The machine is designed to create a portal to Astral world so that we can know for sure if Astral's still alive."

 ** _It's a decent plan, if it works,_** Yin commented, appearing beside me.

 ** _But it'll have to be done quickly if we want to find Astral before anything bad happens,_** added Yurei on my other side.

"You two must be Star's monsters," Quinton presumed, able to see the spirits. "I remember you from before, Yinlong. But the other one is unfamiliar."

 ** _I am Yurei Kuin,_** my Ritual Fiend introduced herself. ** _But you can call me Yurei. Yin and I have been getting reports from some extremely distraught monsters from the decks of the Kastle twins. Chironex poisoning them both isn't helping them at all. Tori's also very worried; she looks up to her female friend, and Rio promised to teach her how to duel sometime._** Yurei then returned to my deck.

 ** _It appears that Abyss is finally in the clear from his spouse, though,_** Yin added. ** _Ever since visiting their ruins, Crystal has been throwing Abyss some very stern lectures against the possession of humans and threatening of life. We've all learned to_ forgive _, but it's_ forgetting _that's not likely to happen anytime soon._**

"I know what you mean," Quinton replied, stroking Yin's long, thin snout. "Forgiving and forgetting are two different things, though one is almost always more likely to happen than the other."

"Enough talk," Kite interrupted, his thoughts irritated and confused. "Whatever you two are looking at, Orbital and I can't see it. Besides, you both are wasting time talking about past problems. If we want to get in touch with Astral world fast, we'll have to get back to constructing the Interdimensional Teleporter. I'll be holding onto the King's Coin for now. Now let's get moving." Curse of Dragon and Curse of Dragonfire both came out for a second, hissed something loudly at Kite, - which made Yin reel in evident shock - and returned to their respective cards.

"What did they say, Yin?" I asked my dragoness.

 _ **Nothing that I would like to repeat in polite company,**_ she replied uneasily, twisting her body and laying her ears back in discomfort before returning to her card.

"Uh, okay. That's enough of an answer to me," I replied, sweatdropping. Between Yin's words and her body language, I'm getting the feeling that some swear words were involved in that insult from the twin dragons. (Makes me glad I can't quite translate anything dragonic yet.) Quinton was also mentally cringing at Yin's response. _Twins,_ I mentally remarked to Quinton, _almost impossible to understand. I guess those two don't have "Curse" in their names for laughs._

 _You're going to lecture them later, aren't you?_ Quinton presumed.

 _Actually, I'll leave dealing with them to Yin and my other dragons,_ I replied mentally. _I was exhausted after lecturing misbehaving duel spirits a few nights ago. I don't really want to repeat that at a time like this._ Quinton's thoughts voiced his agreement as we looked over the blueprints for the machine.

"Every piece must be p-p-placed per-per-perfectly," Orbital stuttered loudly. "A single part out of place could be ca-ca-catastrophic!"

"I understand that this is delicate machinery," I notified, glaring at the robot. "You don't need to yell about it." Orbital kept yelling about how fragile the machine was. "And you choose to wonder why we left you back on the airship at Spartan City!" I snapped angrily, causing the robot to go silent. I facepalmed and took a deep sigh to calm myself down. The crystal on my bracelet started flashing. I put my hand down to tap the crystal; it was a message from Yuma with a linked recorded video. The message itself stated that Rio and Shark were in the clear from Chironex's poison. On the appearing screen was a video of a baffled Chironex.

 _"That rotten punk kid,"_ Chironex remarked. _"I know I've met him before."_ His face was suddenly even more shocked. _"I remember now! That time, years ago, when the cops were chasing me. I lost control; I slammed into that car. But I saw... I could never forget that face, but... That kid couldn't be you!"_

 _"Hold up,_ _"_ Shark's voice called. _"What're you babbling about?"_

Chironex fell to his knees, clutching his head in shock. _"There's no way it can be you! There's no way!..."_ Chironex's body disintegrated into particles as the recording ended.

"What was that all about?" Kite asked as he and Quinton watched the video over my shoulder.

"I have a guess," I remarked. "When I was around the hospital, I noticed that some of the older doctors and nurses knew Shark and Rio. They remembered how their parents were killed in a car crash involving a criminal driving an 18-wheeler truck around ten years ago. They remembered how the twins nearly died that night, and that they were orphans from that point on."

"No wonder Shark worries about his sister so much," concurred Quinton. "Rio is the only living family he has left. That also explains why he so detested Quattro after the fire incident. The poor girl was unconscious for a year and a half, at least."

 _Well, two dream-visions down; two to go,_ I mentally notified Quinton, who nodded in understanding.

We spent the next few hours or so putting the rest of the Interdimensional Teleporter together, following the blueprints. I was able to use my power to lift and move the parts into their correct places, being as careful as I was when I moved Alito into a Baria Crystal. Quinton was able to do the same with his Crest bracelet, riding off the memory of using his original Crest on Hart a few months back (a memory with a fair amount of guilt around the edges, I might add). Orbital was able to use his long robotic arms to move the pieces, but was a little clumsy on account of some glitches that Kite seemingly can't quite fully repair. Kite himself was mostly reviewing the blueprints and supervising our quick work. I would've considered it almost lazy if I didn't notice how much pain Kite was hiding. He had a lot of bad memories concerning Mr. Heartland and what he did to Kite and Hart in the past.

By the time we had finished the machine, it was nighttime. Quinton and I were exhausted from using our powers for so long without a rest, and Orbital looked a little low on battery power.

"Looks like we finished the Interdimensional Teleporter just in time," Kite commented, looking over the finished machine.

"But how are we going to test whether it works or not?" I asked. "One of us is going to have to go through the portal ourselves to be sure it works."

"You have a point," Quinton commented. "It might well be a one-way trip using the Teleporter. I will go through the portal."

"What?!" I exclaimed, voicing Kite's surprise. "Quinton, if something were to happen to the Teleporter, you'd be -"

"I know," he interrupted, placing a hand on my shoulder. "And that's where you come in, Star. You're the only one who can easily find me, no matter what the distance. If something happens to the Teleporter, you can reach out to me and create a portal to bring me back. You have been able to trust me this long; and I need you to trust me now." I sighed, but nodded to him.

"Let's get the machine outside," Kite suggested. "That way, the buildings here won't be damaged in case something _does_ happen."

Quinton and I had to use our respective power to carefully lift the heavy machine and slowly phase it through the thick, metal wall of the building. It took an eternity, but we both did it; by the time we put down the Interdimensional Teleporter, our powers were pretty spent. We then went outside to see how it was, being greeted by a windy snowstorm.

"Well, it looks like we picked the right place," Kite mused. "Even if we can barely see it."

"You deserve all the credit, Kite," Quinton congratulated his former pupil. "You made the call."

"Are you positive you want to go through with this, Quinton?" Kite asked.

"I'm sure," his mentor confirmed. "I have to, even though it's dangerous. And there's no way Yuma can know about it."

 _Even though Yuma probably_ will _know about it one way or another,_ I thought to myself.


	11. But They Were Put Down

The next day, Kite said he had to go back home for something. He left on a hover-plane, leaving Orbital, Quinton and me back at the research facility. I knew the real reason why Kite left, and Quinton had a similar guess.

"He probably went back to tell Yuma," I told him after Kite left. "You know that, right?"

Quinton nodded slowly. "I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Knowing how stubborn Kite can be, neither of us would be able to convince him not to."

I nodded silently in agreement. "That's what I thought. Now let's go inside before we get frostbite." Quinton agreed and followed me into the building, while Orbital stayed outside with the Teleporter.

* * *

That evening, we heard the hover-plane come back. I could detect Kite's thoughts, as well as those of Yuma and Tori.

"Looks like we were right," I confirmed. "Kite did leave earlier today to get Yuma and Tori."

Quinton sighed in exasperation. "We'll have to get there and meet up with them."

I nodded in agreement, and we both went to the Interdimensional Teleporter.

"Kite," Quinton called as we were both behind Kite, Yuma, and Tori.

"Quinton! Star!" Yuma awed, shocked that we were here with Kite.

"I thought I told you not to bring him here," my old friend scolded Kite.

"You did," the blonde confirmed. "But unlike you, I don't see any point in babying him."

"I thought we agreed I would test out the device; and if it was successful, then and only then, would we inform Yuma of our plan."

"Not to mention, if it didn't work, I'd send a portal to bring him back," I hissed coldly.

"Well, I guess I changed my mind," Kite snapped.

"Quinton, Star, why didn't you tell me that I could get to Astral World?" Yuma demanded.

"Because we know you," Quinton replied simply. "And we knew if we told you, you would insist on going."

"We didn't want you and your stubborn attitude interfering with the original plan," I explained, crossing my arms.

"You have to let me use it, Quinton!" Yuma pleaded. "You know I'll do anything it takes to find Astral!"

"A million things could go wrong and we haven't tested any of it," warned Quinton. "Even if the transporter worked and you survived the trip to Astral world, it's a world we know absolutely nothing about. It could very well be a one-way trip." Tori staggered in shock, but Yuma stood firm.

"I don't care! It's a risk I'm totally willing to take!"

"Look, you two," Kite interrupted. "We all know that Yuma's father left those coins in the ancient ruins on purpose. Those seven coins must be a message for Yuma to go to Astral world."

If that's true, it's gotta mean Astral's still alive!" Yuma exclaimed with a grin. "And if he's still alive, I'm the person who should go and find him. The _only_ person!"

"You guys gotta let Yuma do this," Tori spoke up. "Yuma and Astral share a special bond. I know that he can find Astral!"

"Thanks, Tori," Yuma thanked his old friend. "Please, Quinton. Please, Star. Let me go find Astral."

Quinton and I took a moment before we finally agreed. "All right, Yuma," Quinton relented. "You win."

"But only because you're not the only one who shares a bond with someone else," I added. Yuma grinned in thanks and went up to the machine platform, ready to get going.

"The Teleporter is going to open the portal to Astral world and send you there," Quinton explained. "But we don't know how long we can keep the portal open. If it closes, you may never come home again."

"Guys, don't worry about a thing!" Yuma reassured. "I'll bring Astral back, guaranteed!"

"Orbital, let's do this," Kite commanded.

"Yes sir, Master k-k-Kite!" stuttered Orbital.

"Charge up the Astralite," Quinton added. "When it reaches maximum strength, we'll release all the stored energy in a single burst that'll create a wormhole to Astral world. At least, that's the plan. Yuma, for your own safety, stay in that exact spot until it's fully charged. The Astralite's only good for a single blast, so we only have one shot to open the portal." As Yuma was lifted into the air by the charging energy, I began to sense Barian power nearby. Quinton turned to look at me. _And for_ your _safety, Star, hide in my shadow like you would in your own,_ he thought. _If a Barian shows up, you will have to hide. As much of a nuisance it is, we'll have to follow Quattro's idea of you being my shadow brought to life. I'm counting on you, old friend, to make sure that any Barians that come don't remain._ I nodded once and disappeared into his shadow. Since we looked like each other, no one would know the difference.

"As-Astralite charged to 40%," the robot at the computer reported. "45, 50, 55 -." The power in the area was suddenly cut, cloaking the entire place in shadow.

"What's wrong?" Tori asked, worry growing in her mind.

"The power's down," Kite sneered.

"So it can't charge!" Quinton realized, turning back to the machine. "We need to find more power, _now_!"

"Orbital, jack this thing into your power core!" Kite shouted to the robot.

Orbital looked panicky, if that's even possible for a robot. "B-b-but sir, I - I -"

"Just do as I tell you!" Kite persisted.

"Please hurry, Orbital!" Tori begged.

"All right," Orbital complied, taking the plug for the Teleporter. " I knew I should've packed some spare batteries," he grumbled before plugging it into himself. The robot sparked with red electricity for a second before falling to the ground, scaring Tori.

"Settle down, it's nothing a quart of oil won't be able to fix," Kite assured Tori. We all were suddenly interrupted by cackling; a small form appeared from a shower of Barian particles.

"So sorry to spoil your little science project but I can't allow Yuma to go to Astral world," the Barian spoke as he materialized. I knew his name was Scritch, and I saw that he did something to Kite.

"You Barians always show up at the worst possible times," Kite insulted. "Don't you know you're not welcome here?"

 _Scritch,_ I telepathically told Quinton. _The dream-vision concerning him came around two weeks ago. I think he did something to Kite._

Yuma sneered. "I'll make you stop laughing -!"

"Stay where you are," Kite ordered. "Remember that you can't leave that spot until the Astralite's fully charged. I'll be the one to pounce on this pathetic pest."

"He won't get near the Teleporter till you're through the portal," Quinton assured Yuma. "We'll both make sure of that."

Scritch chuckled. "So be it. I'll take you two down first, then!" Scritch threw down a smokeball that made Don Thousand's emblem appear on the ground.

 _Ow!_ _I really hate when they do that!_ I mentally shouted as the sensation of my strength draining came up again.

"In this field, my LP are doubled, and your LP are halved," the Barian explained.

"Like that's gonna help you," Kite remarked sarcastically.

"Let's do this," Quinton smiled confidently.

"I'm going to love taking the two of you down," Scritch smirked before going into his Barian form, which looked much like a black-and-white striped humanoid mosquito, d-pad ready. "I can't wait to get under your skin!"

"Somebody call pest control," Kite commented.

"Quinton, use this!" Yuma called, throwing a card at the male in question.

"This was _my_ Number card," he mused. From the shadows, I could see the memory of a gargantuan Machine-type monster vividly in the minds of those around me.

"I figured it might come in handy," grinned Yuma.

"I appreciate the card and I'm positive that it will," Quinton thanked Yuma. "I have to admit, I never thought the day would come when we'd be dueling together like this Kite."

"Just do the best you can to keep up with me, Quinton," the blonde replied.

"Keep up with _you_? If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't know _how_ to duel."

"The student frequently outshines the master."

"Then I think we should be able to squash this mosquito," Quinton commented. "We're going to swat you down! This I promise!" Quinton exclaimed as he and Kite readied their d-pads and tattoos. _Star, when the right time strikes -_

 _Say no more,_ I interrupted, knowing his thoughts. _At the right time, I'm all in on playing dragonfly with this oversized mosquito._

 _That's one way of putting it, Star, and quite relative to nature,_ my old friend complimented through his thoughts.

"You shouldn't make promises you know you can't keep," Scritch countered.

Quinton took first draw, summoning lvl 9 Deep-Space Cruiser IX, using the spell Hologram Projection to duplicate his Machine. He overlaid both monsters to Xyz summon rank 9 Number 9: Dyson Sphere - the monster from their memories that easily blotted out the sky - before ending his turn.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," Scritch denounced the giant Machine, displaying his "bigger isn't better" nature.

"I can assure you that try as you might, my monster will not fall," Quinton defended. "But you, however, will not be as fortunate."

Kite took his draw and special summoned lvl 4 Photon Thrasher. He also summoned lvl 4 Photon Chargeman, using its effect to double its atk from 1000 to 2000. Kite tributed his two monsters to summon his lvl 8 Galaxy-Eye Photon Dragon, also ending his turn afterward.

 _Dyson Sphere and Galaxy-Eyes, just where I want them,_ I heard Scritch think before he drew his card. He summoned lvl 2 Mosquito Force, using its effect to add another Mosquito Force to his hand. He activated the spell Ninjitsu Art of Mosquito Marching to add two more Mosquito Forces to his field. Scritch overlaid the three of them to Xyz summon rank 2 Number 2: Ninja Shadow Mosquito.

 _But... where was it?_

That's the question we all had in mind at the moment after the summoning; none of us could see Scritch's Number. Reading Scritch's thoughts, I figured out that the monster was the tiny green glint of light hovering over his shoulder

"Where's your monster, Scritch?" Quinton demanded.

"My monster's right here!" cackled the Barian. I began to notice Kite's mind starting to spin, his thoughts suddenly confused. "Maybe you boys can't see my monster because your eyes have gone bad."

 _Something's wrong,_ Kite was thinking as he held his head. _I feel dizzy._

 _Quinton,_ I alerted. _I think something's wrong with Kite. Look!_ Quinton turned to see Kite's confused stance.

"Kite, what's the matter?" he asked his former student in worry.

"I'm totally fine," Kite lied. Quinton and I seemed rather skeptical of that.

 _That bite's kicking in,_ Scritch observed.

"Hey, needle nose!" Yuma shouted. "Why are you foolin' around playing hide-and-seek with your Number?!" He suddenly stopped. "I see it! Over there! Look, over his left shoulder!" The others followed Yuma's gaze, soon spotting the tiny Number. Even Tori commented on how tiny it was.

"It's tiny _and_ dangerous," Scritch explained, setting a facedown and ending his turn. "Don't let my Number's size fool you. Big things come in small packages. And once you witness my Number's _buzz_ -worthy abilities, _you'll wish you never met me_!"

"I already wish I never met you!" yelled Quinton as he took his draw. _Since his Number has zero atk, it must have other surprises in store for us._

 _Whatever a Number lacks in atk, it more than makes up for in special abilities,_ I relayed. _Be careful, Quinton; I think Scritch did something bad to Kite before the duel._

Quinton agreed before sending Dyson Sphere to attack Shadow Mosquito in a test run. As we expected, Scritch activated one of his Number's effects, using an OLU to protect both the monster and his LP. Frustrated but slightly glad to know one of Shadow Mosquito's effects, Quinton set two facedowns and ended his turn.

"Tori, what's the charge level on the Teleporter?" Kite demanded.

"It's at 72%," she reported.

"That leaves me plenty of time to destroy the Teleporter," Scritch chuckled darkly. "You'll never get to Astral world!"

"Button it, bug-brain!" Kite barked, drawing a card. I saw the bite affecting him even more with a small glint of red light on his neck, and Kite staggered on his feet.

"What's wrong?" Quinton asked again, his worry starting to grow.

"Nothing," Kite fibbed. "I keep telling you I'm fine."

 _It's working,_ Scritch mentally rejoiced. _He's feeling my little sting._

 _This Shadow Mosquito's OLUs protect it from being destroyed,_ Kite recalled. _Time for a workaround._ "It's been a while, but I'm going hunting!" the former Number Hunter yelled before ordering his dragon to attack. He activated Photon Dragon's ability to banish both monsters, but something wasn't right with the dragon.

 _Photon looks almost... confused,_ I remarked.

"You don't get it!" exclaimed Scritch. "Galaxy-Eyes was poisoned, with a _little_ something called a Hallucination Counter."

"What is it and what does it do?" Kite demanded.

Scritch chuckled menacingly. "When Ninja Shadow Mosquito used an OLU during Quinton's turn, it didn't just keep the two of us safe. It also put a Hallucination Counter on Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. My sneaky Ninja Shadow Mosquito can't be destroyed by a monster that's been tagged with a Hallucination Counter. So it's special ability not only keeps it safe, but the damage I would've taken hits one of you instead. Now, which one should I choose? I think I'll target that oversized orb, Dyson Sphere! So say goodbye to your LP, Quinton!"

The misguided dragon turned around, ready to attack, but Quinton activated the Micron Force trap to halve Photon Dragon's atk, from 3000 to 1500. Even so, he was blasted back in the direct attack as his LP dropped to 500.

 _Quinton!_ I called out to him from within his shadow.

 _I'm alright, Star,_ the male's thoughts assured me. _I can still duel._

"Quinton, are you okay?" Kite asked his former mentor. He suddenly took another hit from the sting in his neck, beginning to waver. _Why can't I focus?_ he asked himself as he set two facedowns to end his turn.

 _Yes, yes, the poison is working!_ Scritch thought. _This is going to be great!_

"You keep saying that everything's okay, Kite, but something's up," Quinton lectured the blonde.

"For the last time, Quinton, I'm fine," Kite denied. "That's enough already."

"Well, then you know what you have to try and do, don't you?" Quinton inquired. Kite was overcome by the sting, and I saw in his thoughts what he was seeing.

"Yeah, I know what. I have to defeat you now!" Kite exclaimed at "Scritch."

"What did you say?" Quinton staggered. "Defeat me? Kite, you're supposed to take the _enemy_ down, not _me_. Now get your head in the game!"

 _Quinton, he's under a hallucinogen,_ I explained. _He doesn't see you, he sees Scritch!_

 _Hallucinogen?_ Quinton echoed. _No wonder he's talking to me like this; he's hallucinating._

"I'm going to squash you like the annoying little pest you are!" Kite hollered.

Scritch drew and summoned Mosquito Commando, sending it to the Grave to place a Hallucination Counter on Dyson Sphere. He activated the spell Ninjitsu Art of Mosquito Combustion to deal 600 damage each to Kite and Quinton, as their monsters had a Hallucination Counter. Quinton activated the trap Elastic Space to redirect all 1200 damage to Scritch. Unfortunately, Kite saw it as Scritch preparing to hurt Quinton, and activated the Power Exchange trap to negate the damage by taking 1200 atk from Photon Dragon, lowering its atk to 300. By that time, Yuma began to notice something wrong with Kite.

"Before the duel, I injected your friend with a potent poison," the Barian explained.

"I was with Kite before you even got here and I never saw you inject him with anything!" Quinton exclaimed.

"I never said it happened _here_. I hitched a ride with Kite on his fancy flyer, and while he was busy blabbing about Astral, I pricked him with my poison."

 _Looks like now's your time to step out of the shadows for a moment,_ Quinton thought. _We need Kite and his Galaxy-Eyes if we're going to take that Barian down. But if Kite's hallucinating, there's no telling what he's going to do. We've got to figure out a way to help him fight the poison._ I mentally agreed and sneaked a ways from Scritch so he wouldn't see me, leaving the shadows. I sneaked up on the humanoid mosquito, moving slowly so Kite wouldn't get the wrong idea. I lifted my hand, claws poised to strike. My power concentrated around my hand, coating it in dark violet energy and sharpening my claws as I heard, _ **Shadow Strike**_.

"No way! Sneaky Skeet!" Yuma snarled.

"Oh, dear, why thank you for the compli - AAAAAGH!" The Barian shrieked in shock and pain as I swung down, shredding his wings. He crouched down, clutching his shoulders where his wings were originally mounted.

 _Man, I know I'm tall for my age but this is ridiculous!_ I remarked as I returned into Quinton's shadow. With the pain keeping him quiet, Quinton was now able to think of a way to help Kite. He remembered training Kite to be a duelist, years ago. He pushed Kite to the red line.

 _There's only one thing to do,_ Quinton thought, taking his draw. _I have to push Kite to the extreme!_ He ordered Dyson Sphere to attack Photon Dragon while Kite was still in a daze, trying desperately to fight the poison. _I've got to get through to him._ "You don't have what it takes to win!" he taunted Kite in a shout, awakening hidden power in Kite's mind, neutralizing the poison. Kite's eyes glowed red and blue as he was surrounded by a pale red aura. "That's more like it," Quinton smiled, "now let's duel." As the attack struck and destroyed Photon Dragon, I saw Kite activate a trap card. When the dust cleared, Kite had 500 LP left, though he was expected to have none left; the sight of it stunned Scritch. Kite activated Prevent Reborn, which lowers his battle damage by 1000 when a monster is destroyed.

"My inner duelist instincts finally kicked into overdrive," Kite stated as the mark of the sting vaporized. "And that's much more powerful than your poison could ever be." The aura dissipated around him. "You thought you could destroy my game with your cheap, sneaky, cowardly tricks! So now I'm going to squash you like the bug you are!"

"Better make that _we're_ going to squash you," I corrected, slipping out of the shadows and in between the boys. "After all, I've already clipped your wings."

"Marina?!" the Barian squeaked in confusion.

"It's Star, not Marina! Didn't Heartland already tell you?" I hissed. "My parents are gone because of you and your pals, so I'm the strongest and the _only_ Phantom left!" My Phantom aura blazed to the point that the shadows themselves seemed to glow. "The four of you drove me away from the only true friend I ever had, and gave so many of us so much pain to endure. Now, you will all pay the long-overdue price, in your defeat."

"And it looks like Star wants to help deal the final blow," Quinton mused. Kite activated Prevent Reborn's other effect to revive his dragon, at full strength and without the Hallucination Counter.

Yuma sighed in relief. "I gotta admit you had me scared there for a while, Kite."

"I never had a doubt," Quinton assured. "I was the one who trained Kite how to be a duelist. So I know what kind of strength he has."

 _Quinton and Kite, they're lucky,_ Yuma thought. _Those guys have a special bond between them. A real strong one. Just like I had with Astral. Only mine was taken away from me, just like the bond between Quinton and Star._

"Kite, why don't you show our friend here a thing or two about dueling," Quinton suggested, setting two facedowns and ending his turn.

"It would be my pleasure!" Kite replied, drawing his card. He sent Photon Dragon to attack Shadow Mosquito. This time, its ability wasn't thwarted, and both monsters were banished. Shadow Mosquito's OLUs went to the Grave before both it and Photon returned to the field. Photon gained 500 atk for each OLU shed by the tiny Number, adding up to 4000. "A Shadow Mosquito that doesn't have OLUs is as helpless as a mosquito that doesn't have its wings!" Kite exclaimed, pointing out Scritch's shredded wings. Scritch activated the trap Ninjitsu Art of Mosquito Repellent, banishing all four Mosquito monsters in his Graveyard to give his monster 4000 atk, also making it look much bigger.

"I knew he'd have a trick like this up his sleeve," muttered Quinton. Mosquito Repellent's other effect would allow him to banish his Number to deal damage equal to its atk. Yuma called out to us and attempted reaching through the energy field around him.

"Yuma, stay where you are!" Kite ordered. Yuma obeyed, retracting his hand.

"What do you think you're doing, Yuma?" Quinton demanded.

"Helping you!" Yuma answered.

"Don't forget why we're here," Kite admonished. "We're battling to send you to Astral World. If we don't accomplish that, winning this duel doesn't mean anything." Kite activated the spell Eternal Spell to gain the effect of Quinton's Hologram Projection and duplicate his Photon Dragon.

"Nice try, Kite," Scritch hissed, "but that hologram is nothing but a shell of its original self. It can't attack; it's easily destroyed and more fragile than your ego."

"Your wrong, bug face," Kite insulted.

"Luckily, I've got a little surprise for you," Quinton added, activating the trap Power Analysis, allowing Dyson Sphere's atk to become the same as Kite's Photon Dragon. He then activated the Paradox Synthesis trap, sending Dyson Sphere and Kite's Hologram Projection to the Graveyard to add their atk to the original Photon Dragon, raising it to 12000.

"It's got 12000 atk, but it's too little too late!" Scritch yelled, attempting to hide his growing fear. "Even if you raise it too a bazillion atk, you're still not allowed to attack anymore this turn! So it's impossible for you to win!"

"I wouldn't bet on that," Quinton smirked. Kite activated the spell Miracle Galaxy to let his dragon attack again this turn.

"Wait, please, let's talk this over," the Barian begged.

"I'm not interested in anything you have to say," Kite growled. "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, attack Ninja Shadow Mosquito with Photon Stream of Destruction!"

" **Shadow Stream!** " I shouted, gathering all the energy of the shadows. I fired the stream that merged with Photon Dragon's attack, pulverizing the Mosquito and defeating Scritch. The particles of his vaporizing body flew at me and Quinton, causing us both to see something.

* * *

(Flashback) A five-year-old, silver-haired boy was huddled in the corner of a dark, moonlit room, holding a black-haired yearling girl. Both of them looked frightened of a shadow creeping over them both. The human form of Scritch was slowly approaching the pair, a devilish smile plastered on his face as he held a small dagger in his hand. The boy's blue eyes were wide with fear, as were the violet orbs of the girl.

As Scritch raised the blade over the children's heads, two different sounds echoed through the room. One was a defiant growl; the other sounded vaguely like a charging cannon. A small rover and a small, purple dragon appeared protectively in front of the children. The dragon launched a ball of fire, and the rover fired an energy cannon. Scritch was blown out through the window and into the surrounding forest.

At the sound of the breaking glass, three adults burst into the room; two men and a woman. The little boy stood and rushed to them, still holding the girl as the woman flicked on the light switch. The three adults surrounded the tiny children, comforting them from their frightening experience...

* * *

(Star) I shuddered and blinked back into focus. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Kite asked.

"You didn't see that?" Quinton asked back. Kite, Tori and Yuma shook their heads. "Well, it looked like a much younger version of Star and myself, being threatened at dagger-point by Scritch. But before he could attack, Planet Pathfinder, and that dragon..."

"Pathfinder and Koumori Dragon blasted him out the window," I completed. "Those two children were the two of _us_ , and our duel monsters saved us both." Clicking came from the computer of the Teleporter.

"Hey, guys, look: the Teleporter's fully charged!" Tori reported happily. The yellow sphere Yuma was in started to glow brightly, and the ground began shaking.

"The portal should open any second now," Quinton explained.

"Hey, don't mess this up!" Kite commanded Yuma. "Go find Astral and bring him back, Yuma!"

"Will do," Yuma agreed. Tori ran up in front of the Teleporter, scared for her friend. "You know I'll come back, right, Tori?"

"Yes, if you promise you will, Yuma!" the green-haired girl confirmed.

"Yeah, I promise, Tori," Yuma vowed before he was sent through the wormhole.

"I hope he can keep that promise," Tori commented, a tear falling from her eye.

 _Good luck, Yuma,_ Quinton thought quietly. A soft red glow from our bracelets caught our attention. Quinton and I looked to see a thread of soft red energy connecting the jewels of our bracelets together. Everyone grew shocked at the phenomenon, especially Quinton and me. The thread vanished after a few seconds, but the power from it still remained; the power of a soul-born bond.

"That's the Red String of Fate," I breathed, eyes wide. "Quinton, you and I... we really _are_ soulmates."


	12. And Then Came Something

"Soulmates?" Kite echoed in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means we've been connected from the start," Quinton replied. "It's astonishing how this lone fact answers several questions I've had. How was I able to see spirits when my father and brothers could not? Why would I always have those strange dreams and seizures? And - I kept this hidden from everyone I knew - what made me so much more sensitive than anyone else I've met?"

"Should someone's soulmate be a Phantom, the bond often comes with a surprise ability or two," I explained. "If the Phantom is a mind-reader, or telepath, the soulmate becomes more sensitive and empathic towards the emotions of others. If the Phantom sees the future, - known as a prophet or prophetess, depending on gender - the pair normally shares visions, be it from dreams or seizures, and both recite prophecies in unison. If the Phantom is a spiritseer, the soulmate is also able to communicate with entities others can't see. And yes, Tori, there's more. One side-effect seems to be in all Phantom-related soulmate bonds: when one experiences mental stress, both feel the pain of it. There are countless others, too, but they aren't considered likely."

"That means there's no telling what else you two will have to put up with," Kite contemplated.

"And no telling what else might happen under the right circumstances," I added. "According to my people, the bond between two soulmates might well be the strongest bond between a Phantom and any other being. The acquired abilities can affect them positively or negatively, depending on their personalities as individuals."

"That makes sense, I think," Tori concurred. A sensation of fear and despair rushed to us from the portal. "Uh-oh, Yuma's in trouble!"

The Interdimensional Teleporter started beeping. Orbital literally jumped up from lying there and rushed over to us in robotic panic. "Not sure I like the sound of that," Kite frowned, glaring at the Teleporter.

"Me neither," I agreed, "that doesn't sound good." I went up to the computer to see what was wrong. An alert signal showed up on the holographic monitor. I quickly read over the alert notification, also seeing the Astralite's power level. The computer started letting off sparks that clearly stated something was wrong, so I hurried back to the others. "The Astralite is at 200% of its own power and rising fast. The Teleporter can only take 250% of the Astralite's strength. At this rate, it'll reach beyond 300% in only a few minutes."

"Th-the energy level is in-c-c-c-creasing!" Orbital stammered, sounding scared.

"Increasing?" echoed Tori. "But why is that happening?"

"Something catastrophic could be occurring on Astral world," Quinton assumed.

"What? There must be a way to stop it," Tori hoped.

"There isn't," Kite denied. "And it's going to destroy the Teleporter."

 ** _The highest-ranked of all Light-attribute monsters has just been summoned!_** Yin exclaimed as she came out. ** _It's called New Order 13: Etheric Amon. Yuma's opponent is unimaginably powerful with that creature beside him. Amon's presence alone might well be enough to destroy Astral world, Barian world, and Earth all on its own!_** Quinton looked to my ace in worry as the Teleporter started getting close to exploding. The machine let off a surge of Light energy that forced Yin back to her card, giving me a shock as well.

"The overwhelming Light energy in there is _not_ good for my Shadow power," I grimaced. Quinton seemed able to feel the shock of it as well, though he hid his reaction.

"Is Yuma going to make it back?" Tori asked.

"I don't see how," Quinton replied. "The energy's gone beyond the Teleporter's limits. It's completely unstable." He certainly had a point. The sides of the machine were blowing off a lot of smoke, and the energy of the Astralite was already past 300% power and almost at 400%.

"Master k-Kite, if we don't leave now, we'll be destroyed along with the Teleporter!" Orbital cried.

"Yuma," Kite murmured. "Orbital 7's right; we have to go."

"No! We can't go!" Tori protested. "Yuma isn't back yet!"

"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for him now," Kite countered glumly.

"We have to get out of here, fast," I spoke up. "I'm sorry, Tori; there's no choice. The Light energy is far beyond the machine's limits and getting worse. Let's get to the skyship before the Teleporter crashes the facility, and us with it." Another surge of Light energy gave me and Quinton another powerful shock. "And those surges are starting to hurt." Tori sadly complied, following as we fled to the hover-plane. Mere seconds after we were all a safe distance away, the Interdimensional Teleporter exploded, destroying the facility.

Tori wept for her best friend as we left for home, standing at the window. Quinton instinctively wrapped his arm around my shoulders, his thoughts radiating sadness. Without thinking, I slightly leaned into him, a single tear slipping from my eye. The rest of us grieved in silence while she let out a single cry: "Yuma!"

* * *

When we got home, I could see the submarine surfacing. Tori was watching out the window, and I could sense that Trey, Quattro, and the SSNCIC were all safe. When we landed at the pier, everyone came out of the submarine so we could tell them what happened. They all told us their side of the story, and how there were somehow Numbers falling from the sky. Their minds were full of worry and sadness once we were done telling them about Yuma and the Teleporter. I even felt a small thread of guilt coming from Flip.

"The portal exploded, so Yuma's stuck in another dimension," Bronk concluded as we finished. "How could you let that happen?"

"It wasn't our fault, Bronk. It wasn't strong enough to handle the energy," I defended.

"You have to fix it!" Cathy commanded. "You just have to!"

"We cannot," Quinton replied sadly.

"But wait, that means Yuma could be trapped there forever!" cried Flip.

"Trapped forever?" Cathy echoed in horror. "How horrifying!" She broke down in tears, crying against Tori as she hugged the feline-fanatic.

"You had one job, one simple job: keep the portal open!" Flip growled angrily. "And you couldn't even do that?!"

Bronk stepped in and held him back. "Quit flippin' out, Flip. Relax."

"Yuma's been in trouble before, Cathy," Tori comforted her gray-haired friend. "And no matter what, he always pulled through."

"You really think he'll come back?" Caswell inquired in uncertainty.

"Even if he's trapped in another dimension, Yuma will find a way home," Tori answered.

"And he'll bring Astral back, too," Kite added. Everyone nodded in agreement.

 _"Au contraire,"_ an all-too-familiar voice interrupted as Heartland's smug face appeared on every monitor in the skyship. _"Sorry to rain on your parade, but you can forget about Yuma."_

"Heartland!" Kite sneered. Quinton and his brothers growled angrily while I hissed at Heartland's face. Everyone's sadness transformed into rage at the man on-screen.

 _"I'm afraid he won't be making any encore appearances,"_ Heartland continued, _"'cause he and Astral are gone for good this time! Now come on out and say hi!"_ We all ran outside to see Heartland standing on a crane. I sensed thousands of people in the city that had their minds brainwashed by Barian. "We're all reunited at last. That includes the last member of the last Phantom family in Heartland City. I'm thrilled to see you all again, but I'm guessing _you_ may not be as thrilled to see _me_. Am I right, Kite?"

Kite sneered at the man in white. "You'll find out; get down here!"

"First things first. I have something to show you." Heartland pointed his walking stick to a cluster of clouds swirling with Barian red energy. A few bolts of red lightning shot straight to the ground.

"I didn't see _that_ in the weather forecast!" Bronk exclaimed.

"It's Barian, of course it's unnatural!" I cried.

"On with the show! Hit the lights!" Heartland shouted. More bolts of red lightning shot out from the clouds as the first ones fused into a sort of tube. Pain seared through our bodies from the tube's outpouring of energy, as if gravity had suddenly tripled on us. After a minute we could move again, but that definitely hurt.

"Th-that light storm is twisting the laws of physics inside out!" Orbital explained. "A-as far as I can tell, it's creating a g-g-gateway to Barian world!"

"A gateway," Kite echoed.

"So that's what all this is about," Quinton murmured. "The Barians must be trying to connect their world to our world."

"Yeah, totally!" Heartland confirmed, still smiling. "It's lucky for you guys I tracked you down. We can watch the Barian-pocalypse together!" He jumped down from the crane, landing in front of us.

"How did you manage to trace us to this location, Heartland?" Kite demanded.

"The Barians sent a _bazillion_ Numbers to this world," Heartland answered, "and I zeroed in on the one here. These Barian Numbers can be quite captivating. Humans find them irresistible. Too bad for me that I can't quite say the same for Phantoms, but that's besides the point. I mean, who can resist picking up a powerful Number card?" Flip's eyes widened, the thread of guilt in his mind growing. "And once one's been picked up, I get to know exactly who picked it up; that's how I found you unfortunate fools."

"Somebody here must've picked up one of those Numbers recently," Trey believed.

"Okay, who is it?" Quattro demanded. "One of you found a Number and lied about it!"

"I told you I don't have one!" Bronk protested.

"Me either," Caswell added.

"Or me!" cried Cathy. Flip shifted uncomfortably.

"Do you have one, Flip?" Tori inquired. In response, Flip silently pulled a card from his pocket. I felt its false power, and was sure that my monsters felt it, too.

Quattro groaned in frustration. "Thanks a lot."

"But why, Flip?" Bronk asked quietly.

"When I saw it falling from the sky, I just had to take it," Flip answered in shame.

"You know Flip and his regular habits," I spoke, looking at Bronk and the others. "He picks up whatever he finds without an owner; be it down on the ground, or up in the air."

Flip nodded slowly, tears starting to fall. "It's as if the card was calling out to me. I didn't know it was evil! I didn't know it would bring Heartland here! You would've picked it up, too; admit it! It's just, with a powerful Number, I thought I could help! Instead I just made things worse."

"And speaking of worse, the people of this world are about to be absorbed by Barian World," Heartland grinned evilly. "Doesn't get much worse than that, does it? All those who picked up Numbers will be transformed into dark energy particles that will then be slurped up by our newly-created gateway. The amassed energy will be used to allow Barian world to consume this world! Imagine, your world will become just like Barian world, and you'll all be little Barian puppets."

I growled, Phantom aura blazing more than ever. "Barian puppets?! Not while I'm still alive!" I shouted. My Shadow power surged to the glowing tube, forming a glowing ring around it on the ground.

"You're the puppet!" Quattro sneered. "I bet the Barians haven't even told you their endgame!"

"And knowing them, they probably wouldn't," I added.

Heartland was secretly wary of our suspicions. "Wanna bet?"

"It's obvious where this is going," Kite broke in. "The Barians want to drain all power from this world and use it to wipe Astral world out of existence. That's what the Barians are always up to."

"Too bad my Shadow Ring's going to block off half of said power," I countered. "Instead of being sent to Barian world, half of those dark energy particles will be sent to the Shadow Realm, for safekeeping. You won't be getting them out anytime soon unless you want your own soul to be shredded. By the way, I'm sure you _don't_ know the real plan." _Even though I do._ Heartland was growing irritated, as clearly shown by his twitching scowl.

"Excuse me, I was talking!" he hollered. "What we're really planning is - uh - er - pretty much what Kite said. But _you_ , young lady, are turning out to be quite a nuisance. Oh, how I wish you were gone for good fifteen years ago." A Barian symbol appeared on Flip's forehead, and we watched as his soul vanished into particles. My mind jerked back eight years ago, to when I lost my parents the same way. "Your little buddy's time is up but I promise it's for the best," I faintly heard Heartland.

 _Guys, what's going on? Help me!_ I heard Flip's last thoughts before I felt myself falling... falling... falling...

* * *

(Quinton) Something was definitely wrong with Star when I looked at her. Not only did I sense extreme fear and horror at watching the boy vanish, but her eyes were glazed over, and she appeared frozen in place. Strange images of two souls vanishing appeared in my head; it must've been one of Star's memories, and watching a soul disappear brought it up. I carefully pulled her unsteady form against me so she wouldn't fall or panic. She didn't feel as brave as she was when Kite and I fought Scritch; she felt... terrified.

"Keep it chill, guys," Heartland smirked. "Before you know it, you'll all be assimilated in the same way. It won't be too painful. And since you won't be needing your Numbers where you're going, feel free to turn them all over to your best bud, Mr. Heartland."

"If you want them, you'll have to take them from us!" my former student taunted.

"If you insist," the white-suited demon-spawn agreed.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Kite shouted before he commenced his Photon Transformation.

"I once made you a Number Hunter, but now you're going to become the hunted, Kite!" Heartland replied as he prepared to duel and as we prepared to spectate. I watched as Yinlong appeared beside me and Star.

 _ **Oh dear,**_ the dragoness frowned sadly at her duelist. ** _Even eight years after watching it happen to her parents, Star still can't get over watching a departing soul. And it's not just from that, but she's also negatively affected by a person's hatred towards her and her people. I'm beginning to fear that this is beyond some normal problem._**

 _My guess is post-traumatic stress disorder,_ I replied in thought. _Poor Star; she's had PTSD all this time and we never knew it._

 ** _Indeed; s_** ** _he tries ever so hard to keep it hidden. It has happened before, and none of us duel spirits could get her out of this trance. But you, Christopher, might well be able to snap her out of it. Though maintaining her mental state may prove difficult with this "assimilation" occurring._** With that, the violet dragon disappeared.

Looking at the structure that reached the sky, I knew that Yin was correct. Clouds of red particles were going to the pipe, but half of them were going into Star's Shadow Ring at the bottom. Those departing souls must be wreaking havoc on Star. I turned her away from the crimson tube so she wouldn't see it. Holding her against me, I whispered into her ear, "Star, wake up."

* * *

(Star) "Star, wake up," I heard someone whisper. I felt like I was being slowly pulled up from the black void I was falling into. My eyes blinked back into focus to see Kite preparing to duel Mr. Heartland. I felt someone was holding me up, and Quinton's concerned mind seemed to be all around me. I looked up to see Quinton holding me, his eyes full of worry. _Yinlong said that you have PTSD, Star. Why didn't you tell us?_ he thought softly.

"I didn't think it would be triggered that fast," I replied softly. "For that matter, I didn't think it would be triggered at all. At least it wasn't too bad since it was only one person. However, my power might strike back awfully hard if it gets triggered often enough."

Quinton kept me turned away from the tube and the departing souls, holding me to him. "It would be best if you don't look that way, for your own safety. It wouldn't end well if your PTSD was triggered again." Right when Kite and Heartland were ready to duel, the pipe started sending out shockwaves that caused pain for Kite.

"This should jolt you back to reality," Heartland smirked. "Since this world is slowly transforming into Barian world, this duel will be just like dueling in a Barian sphere field! So your mind and body are in for quite the workout. Trust me, this bout will be much more painful for you than for me."

Kite slowly managed to stand up. "Why don't we let our cards do the talking, Heartland?"

"In that case, my deck's going to dominate the conversation. I'm volunteering myself to go first!" Heartland took first draw and summoned lvl 1 Infection Fly, playing the spell Multifly to summon two more. Thanks to Infection Fly's effect, the levels of all three monsters doubled.

"He has three of those bugs on his field," gasped Trey, "so he can use that special ability two more times!"

"Exactamundo!" Heartland grinned as his monsters went from lvl 2 to lvl 4 to lvl 8. "My flies are all abuzz with ability, so I can level them up again and again!"

"The only thing more annoying than a bunch of bugs is Heartland!" Bronk growled. Heartland overlaid his Infection Flies to Xyz summon rank 8 Number 1: Infection Buzz King.

"How'd _he_ get a Number?" Quattro asked. Everyone was radiating shock, especially Kite.

Heartland chuckled cruelly. "You're speechless that I have Number 1. But it makes complete sense since I'm number one, too!"

"More like a zero," Kite muttered in disgust. If I wasn't fighting for my mind, I would've laughed.

Heartland sneered. "You better watch what you say, mister, or I'm gonna start _losing my temper_!"

"Yikes, somebody's pretty shallow," I remarked.

"You're no better than he is, you brat!" Heartland shouted my way before recovering his cool. "In case you're wondering, Kite, this is the strongest Number of all! Your situation's hopeless, so feel free to beg for leniency now."

"Not a chance," the blonde growled.

"Oh, you're _so_ uncooperative!" Heartland yelled, his temper at the breaking point. "All right, then, no more Mr. Nice-Guy!" Heartland used Buzz King's effect to toss Ninja Shadow Mosquito into the Graveyard. Kite's extra deck started radiating evil energy, giving Kite yet another round of painful shocks, causing him to fall to the ground. "I scored a knock-down!" Heartland shouted with glee. Heartland, somehow glad that Kite was in pain, set a facedown to end his turn. "It's brave of you to continue, but it isn't very wise. I'm determined to crush you. I'll stop at nothing to win, just like when I worked with your father, Dr. Faker!"

Kite staggered to his feet, still in pain. _What's going on? Why do I feel weak?_ "My father made some major mistakes in his life. But getting mixed up with a sleazeball like you was his biggest!"

Heartland was appalled by the remark. "Me, a sleazeball?!" (Understatement of the year, in my opinion.)

"That's being generous!" Kite exclaimed as he drew his card, soon activating the spell Luminous Dragon Ritual.

"I like where this is going," Quattro commented.

"If Kite's doing what I think, then he's about to try a Ritual summon," Trey gasped. "I don't think this has ever been done before! He's taking a huge chance!"

 ** _Excuse me?_** Yurei remarked as she came out, looking offended. ** _Ritual spells and monsters are_ not _coin-flipping cards._**

 _He can't hear you, Yurei,_ I reminded. _I get how that was probably quite offensive to a Ritual monster like you, but Trey hasn't seen you in a duel like he's seen Yin._ Kite tributed his Photon Chargeman to Ritual summon Paladin of Photon Dragon. He tributed the Ritual monster to summon his Galaxy-Eyes. He attacked Buzz King, using Photon Dragon's effect to banish both monsters and send Buzz King's 3 OLUs to the Grave. Both monsters came back, with Photon getting 1500 more atk for the three OLUs, raising its atk to 4500. Setting a facedown, Kite ended his turn.

Heartland drew and activated Buzz King's effect, taking Shadow Mosquito from the Graveyard and using it as an OLU. The pain Kite was feeling started firing up again. Heartland then activated Buzz King's other effect, using its OLU to destroy a card on Kite's field. Since he chose Photon Dragon, Kite was also going to take damage equal to his monster's 4500 atk. Kite activated the trap Prevent and Draw to cut his damage in half, though Photon was destroyed and his LP dropped to 1750 as he was tossed to the ground.

 _I don't think he can last much longer while he's in this much pain,_ I thought to Quinton, glancing at him. He looked back at me, obviously agreeing, and concerned for his former pupil.

"That card packs a punch!" Heartland exclaimed. "When it hits Kite full blast, it'll crush him completely!"

"Trey, Quattro," Quinton told his brothers, "if you have any Numbers from the Barians, rip them up right now! They're dangerous!" Both of them obeyed, taking out the cards for Number 3: Cicada King, and Number 4: Stealth Kragen. But before they could do much else, both cards disappeared from their hands. They were suddenly feeling the same agony that Kite was feeling from Shadow Mosquito. Quinton and I looked at Trey, Quattro, and Kite in worry, knowing something was going to happen.

"I hate to see Numbers go to waste," frowned Heartland as the cards appeared in his hand. "If you don't want them, I'll take them." The cards' false energy started spreading to Heartland's body. "That's right; give your power to me."

"It's not over, Heartland," Kite strained as he got to his knees. "Prevent and Draw lets me draw one card from my deck. I draw..." Another burst of pain came from Kite; his mind was overpowered by agony, and he fell unconscious.

"Kite, no!" Quinton cried.

"That looks bad, Quinton," I remarked, scanning his mental stress. "He needs help, quickly!"

Heartland was ecstatic. "Looks like he's done, so that means I'm the winner!"

"You're celebrating too soon!" A voice echoed out, causing Heartland to freeze in fear and shock.

"I think we all know that voice," I commented, smiling. Everyone had the same guess on who it was.

"Could that really be Yuma?" Tori asked. The red clouds above were contrasted by bright blue light, from which I sensed two minds. I nodded at Quinton as a red and a blue stream of light broke through the clouds. They landed on the ground in a golden flash, allowing Kite the chance to at least open his eyes. When the golden light faded, we saw the two people we needed help from.

Tori was crying tears of joy. "I knew you'd come back, Yuma!"

"Yep, we're back!" Yuma grinned. "And ready to get in on the action!"


	13. We Never Anticipated

"Impossible!" Heartland gasped. "You're supposed to be trapped in another dimension!"

"Obviously not," I countered.

"They're both safe!" Tori cried happily. "I can't believe it!"

"I just knew you'd rush back here to see me, Yuma!" Cathy called.

"I haven't been this happy since finals week!" Caswell commented.

"Welcome back, guys," Trey greeted the two.

"Thanks a lot; we missed you all, too," Yuma thanked us.

"Look, Yuma. Kite is down," Astral notified, looking behind them.

Yuma gasped when he looked. "Kite!" He ran over to the fallen blonde, carefully lifting his head; Quinton and I walked up to join them. "Kite, are you alright? Give me a sign! You gotta wake up, buddy!"

Kite slowly opened his eyes, his mind still weak from pain. "What took you so long?" he asked softly.

"I'm sorry," Yuma apologized.

"That's okay," Kite waved it off as he passed out again.

Yuma was really worried as Quinton and I knelt beside him. _I'll make this right._ "Quinton, Star; look after him, please."

We both nodded. "Do not worry," Quinton told him as we gently took the unconscious Number Hunter from Yuma's arms. We pulled him aside with Tori and Orbital.

"Heartland did this," Yuma realized, turning to the white-suited madman. "I'm gonna make you sorry you ever came back here and messed with us!"

Heartland smirked. "Yeah? And how will you do that?"

"Here's how: I'll duel in Kite's place!" Yuma proclaimed.

"I was hoping you'd say that. I enjoyed crushing Kite, but taking you down will be my crowning achievement! After sealing this victory, I'm sure to become one of the seven Emperors of Barian world! To celebrate, I'm going full-Barian!" Heartland's body transformed into the hulking demonic beetle-like form from my vision concerning him. "What do you think of my new form? Doesn't it make you purple with envy?"

"You're revolting no matter what you look like!" Yuma snarled as he readied his d-pad and gazer. He took Kite's place in the duel, which also meant he had only 1750 LP. Even so, Yuma was pretty confident that he'd win.

Heartland's eyes narrowed. "If it's a duel you want, it's a duel you'll get." Right on cue, the Barian pipe started shooting lightning at Yuma, Astral, and the rest of us. Screams of pain and panic filled the air, joining the thunder from the red lightning.

"What're you up to, you Barian bozo?" Yuma demanded.

"Barian world is assimilating your world, turning it into a gigantic Barian field," Heartland answered, red lightning still shocking Yuma and Astral. "The power of the Barians is truly shocking, isn't it?"

"Astral, are you okay?" Yuma asked once the lightning stopped.

Astral nodded once. "This Barian field is strong, but it will not be enough to defeat us. Ready?"

"You know it!" grinned Yuma. "Even when Kite's down, he's still got my back, because he left me Prevent and Draw, which lets me draw one card! And I know it's gonna be a good one!" When Yuma drew the card, Quinton and I saw the spirit of a Rainbow Kuriboh. My Wretched Ghost of the Attic came out, chirping happily at its Light-attribute cousin.

 _Did you see that, Quinton?_ I asked.

 _Clear as day,_ my soulmate replied. _According to my father, Rainbow Kuriboh originally belonged to Kazuma Tsukumo._

 _Yuma's father,_ I realized, scanning Yuma's memories. _Looks like Kazuma gave his lucky card to his son while Yuma was on Astral world._

"A useless card," Heartland denounced. "It can't help you survive my final strike!" He ordered his Buzz King to attack, but Yuma used Rainbow Kuriboh's effect to stop Buzz King from attacking. "You're safe for now, but you won't be for much longer; and neither will Kite!" Heartland hissed as his turn ended.

Yuma drew his card and summoned lvl 3 Gagaga Caesar, special summoning lvl 2 Gagaga Clerk in the process. He activated Caesar's effect to banish Kite's Paladin of Photon Dragon and make both monsters lvl 4. He overlaid his Gagaga's to Xyz Summon Utopia, instructing it to attack Buzz King.

"Wait! Utopia's not as powerful as Heartland's monster!" Cathy cried.

"I wasn't hatched yesterday Yuma," the insectoid Barian glowered. "You're gonna stop Utopia's attack so that you can then double its atk with the spell Double or Nothing! I saw you do the exact same thing during the WDC. Watch and weep as I tear your plan to shreds." He activated the trap Overlay Hunt to negate Utopia's effects and steal his OLUs. "Since Utopia's attack continues, Infection Buzz King's taking out Utopia; I tanked your plan!"

"Only one of our plans," Astral countered.

"Since you already figured out plan A, we'll use plan B," Yuma grinned. He activated the spell Stop Hammer to stop his monster's attack, lowering Utopia's atk by 500 to 2000. As expected, he then used Double or Nothing to double Utopia's atk to 4000 and let him attack again. He destroyed Buzz King with Rising Sun Twin Blade Slash, causing Heartland's LP to drop to 3000 as Utopia's atk returned to 2000.

"All right, I'm not playing nice anymore!" Heartland hissed. "In fact, I'm gonna get downright _nasty_!" He activated the trap Infection Medium to summon five lvl 1 Infection Bug Tokens. Noting how weak they were at 300 atk, Astral knew they had to keep up their guard. Taking his advice, Yuma set a facedown to end his turn.

Heartland took his draw and had his first Bug Token attack Utopia, much to Yuma's surprise. Utopia crushed the puny bug, but a huge black cloud engulfed the Light-attribute Warrior. Apparently, if a Bug Token is destroyed, Heartland doesn't take any damage and can destroy Utopia, dealing Yuma 300 damage.

 _Talk about adding insult to injury,_ I mentally remarked as Yuma's LP dropped to 1450.

 _With Heartland and his pesky deck being the main insult_ _,_ Quinton thought back with disgust. Heartland had his second Token attack directly, but Yuma used Rainbow Kuriboh's effect to summon it from the Graveyard and protect him.

"That puny monster didn't save you," jeered Heartland, "it just delayed your destruction by a few seconds. Bug Tokens three, four, and five are gonna attack one after another and continue their assault against you! Move out, my bug swarm; attack!" he commanded his bugs as they flew towards Yuma. In almost no time at all, Yuma and Astral had only 550 LP left.

"I'm not finished," Heartland continued. "You're teetering on the edge of defeat, and I'll give you a push with Infection Extension!" He activated the spell to allow him to summon, you guessed it, _another_ Bug Token; as well as only being able to summon monsters in attack mode.

"Too bad we don't have some insect repellent," Quattro mused.

"That means Yuma's gonna have a hard time protecting himself," Trey fretted.

"Heartland's got Yuma boxed in good," Bronk growled.

"Yuma cannot go on the offensive," Quinton concurred.

"Gods above," I sneered, "where's Eradicating Aerosol when you need it?"

"Even so, Astral and I will do what we always do," Yuma spoke up, "keep fighting!" He activated the trap Returning Light.

"With this trap, I can summon a Light-attribute monster from our Graveyard," Astral explained.

"And all I have to do is lower its atk by a thousand!" Yuma finished. I was able to see which monster Yuma was planning on reviving; apparently, so did Quinton.

"And I know which monster Yuma's bringing back," he mused.

"Same here," I added.

"Ye-yeah! Master k-k-k-Kite's go-to!" Orbital exclaimed. Yuma brought back Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, lowering its atk to 2000.

"No matter how powerful your dragon is, it's still five-on-one, Yuma," Heartland chided.

"Our situation _is_ dire, but there is still a way we can rebound and win this," Astral reminded.

"This whole duel is riding on my next draw," Yuma declared. "We need just the right card."

Heartland only gave a sinister snicker. "Give it up, Yuma. I know what you're trying to pull. You won't 'Zexal' your way out of this mess. See, I have something even stronger: Barian power!" he exclaimed with a growing black-and-red aura. "I call upon the darkest forces of Barian world," he chanted, causing the clouds to swirl above Yuma and Astral. "Feel Barian World's wrath!" he shouted.

I instinctively stood in front of Kite, Quinton, and Tori, making a shield around Yuma and Astral to protect them. A menacing white light came from the clouds, and the malicious energy was shot to me instead of them. I shrieked in pain as dark lightning surged through the light, draining my power and forcefully letting down my shield.

"Star!" Quinton exclaimed as I went down on my knees; Yuma and Astral started getting zapped with the energy.

"Stop! What are you doing to them?" Tori demanded.

"I'm weakening them," Heartland explained matter-of-factly. "Now they won't have enough strength to work together. Although they would've been much more so had there not been any Phantomic interference."

"May the gods consume your very being," I threatened in a hiss, letting the surrounding shadows recharge my strength.

Yuma chuckled from within the pain from the light. "You're wrong, Heartland."

"Impossible! I'm always right!" the Barian denied.

"It doesn't matter what you throw at us!" Yuma shouted. "Nothing can stop Astral and me from working as a team!" He turned to his partner. "Astral, this is it."

"No way!" Heartland cried. "You both should be totally wiped out! As much so as the Phantom!"

"We're not!" Yuma and Astral said in unison. "Together, we will high-five the sky!" The light dissipated as the two became red and blue energy that shot to the sky in a bright light.

 ** _When two distant souls become one, the power of Zexal is revealed; go_ Zexal Morph _!_** Astral chanted from within the light. The combined form appeared in red, white, and golden armor with wings of silver and gold and orange eyes framed in black markings.

"You're going down, Heartland!" he yelled as his wings opened. "It's over!"

"Amazing," Trey awed at the morph.

"It's like new and improved," Tori added.

"All my power couldn't stop you!" Heartland realized.

"Your power comes from hate, but the power of Zexal comes from friendship," the morph proclaimed, "and that's a lot stronger, Heartland, and you're about to find out _how_ strong." The golden aura of the morph caused a coating of energy to vanish from the whole place.

Heartland's eyes widened in horror as his turn ended. "No way! My Barian field's been destroyed!"

The morph performed a Shining Draw and looked at the card.

 _That is so totally awesome,_ Yuma thought.

 _Yes, Yuma, it is,_ Astral agreed. They summoned ZS Vanish Sage and had Photon attack one of the Bug Tokens, using the dragon's effect to banish both monsters.

"Way to go Yuma! What a super move!" Trey cheered.

"They've got Heartland exactly where they need him," Quattro mused.

"So you got rid of one bug," the Barian shrugged. "I've still got four left, and Galaxy-Eyes can't use that trick again."

The morph activated Vanish Sage's effect, banishing it to bring back Photon Dragon. Any monsters with less than Photon's 3000 atk were banished; namely, the Infection Bug Tokens. Photon was ordered to attack directly, which it gladly did. It erased the rest of Heartland's LP with its Photon Stream of Destruction and through him backwards, causing the man to revert back to human form as his LP hit zero.

"That was the best comeback ever!" cheered Tori as the morph split back into Yuma and Astral.

"You'll pay for this," Heartland strained as he sat up. Gazing at the man coldly, I calmly stood up and walked over to stand in front of him. "Just you wait! Once the Barian emperors ear about this - Agh!" he was cut off by a sudden jolt of pain. Four cards hovered in front of him, glowing with false energy as the true entities within begged me to help them.

I crystallized my scythe into my hand, not tearing my gaze from the white-suited madman. The blade glowed with energy as my soul had become one with the spirit of Yurei Kuin.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Heartland demanded. "Why are you bringing that thing again?"

"I, Star Choseki, as the Ghost Queen, declare this," I intoned, my voice sounding warped and chilling. "May the demonic souls of you and your comrades never touch the face of this world again. Nor any place in this mortal realm." I raised the blade of my scythe above his head. "And now, I command you... begone." I swung the blade down at him. He let out a single cry of agony as his soul was shredded, before falling limply to the ground. The false power of the four cards became black flames that spread to his hollow body. I stepped back in silence as my scythe dematerialized and the black flames burned the body away. The flames climbed higher and turned dark red, forming the maniacally laughing image of Don Thousand.

"It is you," Astral recognized the being as the Barian deity. My eyes narrowed at the apparition, my Phantom aura flaring up, causing the image and the lifeless body that fueled it to disappear into particles.

"What was that, Astral? Heartland's Number?" Yuma asked.

"No, it was the Barian, Don Thousand," Astral answered. _Don Thousand,_ his mind repeated in anger.

"Guys!" Bronk shouted as the rest of the group ran up to us, their minds full of positive emotions. I turned around to watch them group around Yuma. "That was Zexal-utionary!"

"Heartland hit you with every trick he could think up," Caswell awed.

"But you played him _purr_ -fectly!" Cathy finished.

"Thank goodness you returned in time," Trey smiled.

"I'm so happy you two are home safe and sound," Tori told them.

"We are, too," Astral smiled down at her.

"Yeah, it's great to be back home," grinned Yuma.

"Star," Quinton breathed as he stepped up to me, his thoughts full of curiosity and shock. "What was it that you did just now? And what was it with that scythe you had? You seemed as if you had become completely different when you confronted Heartland." _You... You had me worried about you. Especially when you were hit by that beam._ The others of the group looked over at me, the curiosity in all of their minds evident towards what I did.

"He's right," Quattro agreed. "You were acting like Quinton when we were working for our father."

I gave Quattro a look before I shook my head. "I wasn't possessed, Quinton, if that's what you were thinking. My soul had actually become one with Yurei. She gave me the courage and the power to end Heartland, and avenge those of my race who are gone now because of him and the Fearsome Four. My scythe shredded his soul apart, and carried out my fervent wish through its blade. None of us have to worry about them coming back anymore; they'll never be able to do anything to anyone again."

"Who's Yurei?" Tori asked me.

I smiled and pulled out the card from my deck case, strapped to my thigh on a black strap. I showed them the blue-bordered card for a minute before putting it back in. "Yurei's power is the very essence of the Ghost Queen," I explained, "and she has also made for a good friend. Although she doesn't exactly like insults toward Ritual monsters like herself."

"And I figure Don Thousand isn't too fond of your Shadow energy, Star," Astral added. "He did not hesitate to leave your presence."

"I believe that his image in that fire was a bad omen, Astral," I stated. "Just a glimpse of his mind is enough to make me see that he's a powerful entity that isn't messing around after this."

"Speaking of bad, Yuma," Bronk frowned. "There's something we ought to tell you."

I heard Kite's weak mind resurfacing behind everyone else's thoughts; Quinton seemed to notice me turning to look their way. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders as his thoughts told me that he sensed it as well. Avoiding the retelling of Flip's fate, Quinton and I stepped close enough to Kite and Orbital to see that the blonde had opened his eyes.

"Oh, Master ki-ki-Kite! A-are you okay?" Orbital asked.

"That depends on who won the duel," I heard him answer.

"I-it was Yuma and Astral i-in a blowout!" Orbital explained. Kite smiled slightly before closing his eyes again.

"Flip was taken up to Barian world?!" Yuma cried.

Tori nodded sadly as we walked back to the group.

Yuma looked down, trembling with grief and anger. "There's only one thing to do," he stated finally. "We gotta take down the Barians." A huge surge of familiar minds caught my attention, with a huge bolt of red lightning getting the others' attention. "What do you think's gonna happen, Astral?" Yuma asked.

He got no answer, but we watched as seven streams flew from the Barian pipe, each with a familiar mind inside. There was a dark blue, light blue, silver, purple, red, green, and yellow stream that flew towards us. The dark blue stream bashed into the pier, while the purple stream split the ground and hit us. The other streams took out whatever was in their path, leaving Orbital to shield Kite with his glider wings. The seven streams all met on a ledge in a huge explosion.

To my surprise, I recognized two of those minds, and I could hardly believe it. But when the smoke cleared, we all looked in horror at the people standing up there.

There, standing at the center of the row of seven, was Rio and Shark.


	14. Friends Went Against Friends

"Shark..." Yuma breathed, paralyzed by shock and fear. "What're you... Shark, what're you doing with the Barians?" No answer came. "I don't get it. What's going on?"

"What's the deal?" Quattro demanded.

"Rio's up there with them, too," Bronk added.

"Shark, what gives?" Yuma asked again.

"'Shark'?" the purple-haired boy said finally. "It feels like a long time since anybody called me by _that_ name. But I'm not Shark _or_ Reginald anymore. My name is Nash; Nash the Barian!" Memories of his past life raced through my head, one after another. I saw him as an emperor of neighboring lands; as a warrior king fighting with and for his subjects; watching as his sister gave up her soul to Abyss and Crystal; as an almost father-like figure to little Iris; winning a Shadow Duel against Vector in _his_ past life; watching the little girl's dead body disappear among many of his dead soldiers -

Wait... a _Shadow Duel?!_ How could that have happened?! That kind of magic is sacred to the Phantom race! Only ancient Egyptian magicians and actual Phantoms could utilize the stone tablets with duel monsters sealed inside!

 _Unless..._

 _But that couldn't be true._

 _But all the evidence from the Mythyrian Number hunts points to it._

 _Could the Barian emperors, in their past lives... could they have been Phantoms?_

"Shark is a Barian?" Cathy asked in a terrified, quiet voice.

"That can't be true!" Tori denied.

"Tori's right," Yuma agreed. "Stop playing games with us, Shark. There's no way you're a Barian. You wouldn't lie to me, so what's really going on here? Tell me." Shark didn't respond, only maintaining his cold glare and frustrating Yuma. "Say something!"

"He's being serious, Yuma," I revealed. "I can see it. Scores of memories from his past life, both above and beneath the surface. I can even see a memory of the use of my race's signature magic: a Shadow Game."

"I'll do more than just say something," Shark declared. "I'll show you what I really am!" He performed a Barian Battlemorph, and the others behind him followed suit. "We are the seven Barian emperors: Mizar - the one true Galaxy-Eyes Master; Girag - the ultimate Barian warrior; Alito - the Barian who battles with fists of fury; Vector - need I say more?; Marin - the name that brings chills to everyone's hearts; Dumon - my faithful friend, but your greatest enemy; and I am Nash - leader of the seven Barian emperors."

"I can't believe Shark is the leader of the Barians," Yuma breathed, "the _head honcho_ of the Barians. This is so messed up."

"Yuma, at one of the ruins we discovered," Astral began, "I witnessed a vision of Shark's past."

"So did I," I added.

"Oh yeah? What did you two see in it?" Yuma asked us.

"Shark's kingdom was under attack," Astral explained, "and he was leading his people into a fierce battle. He was their emperor. He inspired his people, filling them with courage and hope."

"And yet, somehow," I continued, "something interfered with the fate of the kingdom and the people who lived in it. And now, all those soldiers that he once commanded, along with a handful of children - children, I tell you! - live on Barian world."

"I don't get it," Yuma replied. "If Shark was such a good guy, then why is he working with the Barians?"

"I was wondering that, too," I admitted. "Something is definitely not right with this war of worlds. I'm not trying to play devil's advocate in this argument, but this fight might not be anywhere near as simple as good and evil."

"I do not know, either," Astral added. "What I do know is that he is now our enemy."

"I don't care what he is!" Yuma broke out. "Shark's still my friend, and I'm not gonna fight him!"

"Astral is right," Shark stated. "We are what we are."

"No way!" Yuma denied. "We are what we _do_! I've dueled lots of different people, but no matter who it was, dueling created a connection, - a bond - and it always helped us understand each other. Shark, if you're a Barian, you might think the bond we had is broken. But I'm gonna duel you and prove that it's stronger than ever!"

The golden key on Yuma's neck, Shark's Barian pendant, and my bracelet suddenly shots beams of light to each other. The moment they all collided in a blinding explosion, I began to see the boys' memories as vivid as ever.

 _Vector! Vengeance will be mine! This, I promise. I will get payback for my sister... I'm a - I'm a Barian. Yuma, Astral, Kite, Star. Who would've guessed it? Who would've guessed that the leader of their enemies was_ me _?_

 _Yuma, you are our only hope. If our world is to have a chance, you must free Astral before he is erased._

 _Please don't leave me again, Astral! Don't ever leave me!_

Then, the memories ended and the lights faded. I landed on the ground on my side, sensing that Yuma and Shark had both seen the worst of my memories.

"Yuma? Yuma!" Tori cried out.

"Star!" Quinton called to me, sounding like he was just in a lot of pain.

"Nash," Rio yelped, helping her brother to his feet.

I managed to struggle to my feet as Nash did, dusting off my clothes. _Blasted memory swap,_ I thought in irritation. _Like an **Umbral Reveal** with twice as bad an effect on the mind._

"I saw... your pasts..." Yuma trailed off, his mind falling away due to the mental stress. Tori cried his name as I sensed him passing out.

"We must prepare to battle," Quinton stated coldly.

"But what if this is a war you cannot win?" an older, strangely wise voice inquired. "Retreat is not defeat." A barrage of smoke bombs pelted the ledge on which the Barians stood, covering them in a cloud of thick smoke. I sensed a deep, wise mind alongside the mind of Kaze.

"That ought to keep them busy!" I yelled. "Now you guys take Yuma and Kite and get out of here!

"All right," Quinton agreed, "let's move out! Bronk, Tori, take Yuma! Orbital, take care of Kite!"

"Yes-yes sir!" the robot saluted.

"And Star," Quinton added, "try to stay safe."

"Don't worry about me, Quinton," I waved it off. "I'll keep the Barians off my back." Quinton nodded before leaving with the others. As they fled, I was able to use my power as the Ghost Queen to summon a group of ten ghosts: Mizar's parents; the Kastle twins' parents; Vector's mother; the prince who was Alito's best friend; the young scribe who wrote about Commander Kiraku's - or Girag's - legend; and the three knights who were once Dumon's friends and fellow knights. In a split second, I sent them off to the seven emperors. Judging by all their sounds and bursting thoughts of surprise and fright, I knew that they were going to be preoccupied with the ghosts of their pasts. I escaped to a higher ledge, being met with Kaze and a little old man.

"Good to see you in good health, Star," Kaze greeted. "It's been a while."

"Well, I have seen better days," I mused, glancing back at the disoriented emperors.

"So you must be the young Phantom Kaze told me about," the older man presumed. "I am Master Roku. I once knew your parents a long time ago, before you were born. That was quite the trick you pulled, bringing up those shades. The same goes for that final strike on Heartland."

 ** _Please_** ** _,_** Yurei waved off the compliment as she appeared beside me. ** _Summoning shades is a party trick compared to other things the Ghost Queen can do._**

"Don't go pushing our luck, Yurei," I admonished. "I got hit with a Barian beam and just went through a triangle-style memory swap. Any other tricks you want to pull will have to wait."

"An impressive duel spirit you have with you, Star," Roku commended, able to see Yurei because of the growing Barian energy. "I'm sure you have more where she came from, but Kaze and I have already called up a good number of Yuma's friends to help us protect him. And we are going to join in. I've heard about the ways of your kind, so I'll leave you to do what you believe is best."

"Good luck," Kaze added before the two of them rushed off. The Barians had already recovered from the ghosts, and had set off to go after Yuma. Along with Roku and Kaze, I could sense the minds of people I knew facing the Barians, along with some that I didn't: Dextra, Nistro, Anna, someone named Nelson "the Sparrow" Andrews, and Bronk. Quinton and the rest of the crew were taking Kite and Yuma to safety. The rest of the city was likely to be gathered in Heartland Tower, since I sensed most of those worried minds in that direction. I sensed Don Thousand was gaining power, and Yurei and I feared that we had no time to lose.

 ** _It would be our best interest to fulfill your promise before you endure another attack,_** Yin suggested as I **Shadow Summoned** her.

I nodded as I mounted her. "I know, and that's exactly what I plan to do. Come on, let's head to Barian world. I'm sure it's just beyond this thick cloud-cover above us."

 ** _Understood,_** Yin nodded. With that, we flew to the dark storm clouds that covered Heartland City and likely the whole world. Red lightning shot at us, but we barely managed to dodge the bolts. Once we ascended into the clouds, the air became thick, like pure maple syrup or honey. Yin and I crept through the clouds painfully slowly, though we were going as fast as we could. Even the lightning was slow to appear, and the thunder was barely noticeable, it was so low and long.

After a bit of waiting, Yin gradually began flying faster and faster, with the thick, syrupy air gradually becoming easier to move around in. We must've been getting close to the other side of the barrier. When we finally broke through the clouds, Yin returned to her normal speed, racing down to the enormous gathering of people on the red crystal cliffs. They looked in awe at my monsters and me as we landed in the middle of a circle.

"Who are you, stranger?" one of the men asked. "What is your business here? We will allow no threat to come to Barian world or any of our superiors. Our world is crumbling enough as it is." The soldiers all drew their red metal sabers in agreement.

"I am no threat to this world nor to any of the emperors," I replied, sliding down the back of my dragoness. "I am Star, a Phantom who came here from Earth. I only came here to fulfill a promise I made with one of your higher-ups: Barian emperor Dumon. I was charged with caring for a little Barian girl named Iris; and to protect her from the fearsome deity that is causing this world harm."

"I see," the soldier bowed his head, sheathing his sword. "Little Iris holds a special place in the hearts of emperors Dumon, Marin, and Nash. We would gladly allow you to fulfill this solemn promise you made." The soldiers followed suit, putting their swords away. The soldier who spoke to me held his hand out.

I gladly shook the man's hand. "I thank you for your cooperation, soldiers. I will ensure that Don Thousand is defeated completely, and that all of you will be safe."

The soldiers from one direction were suddenly moving aside, letting a familiar young mind snake through the crowd. And judging by the person's mind and the flashing lavender light, I easily knew who it was. I gestured to Yin and pointed in the direction of the flashing light. She nodded and extended her long tail to the moving light. A small yelp of surprise rang out; when Yin lifted it, Iris was comfortably wrapped in her tail, the moon globe flashing in her grasp. Yin gently put her down in front of me, unwrapping her tail.

"I remember you," Iris grinned. "You came her a couple of times before. It's nice seeing you without your cloak." She looked up at Yin's long, slender face. "And I think I remember you. Though I may have only seen you once before."

 ** _I'm Yinlong, but you can call me Yin,_** my dragoness introduced, lowering her head to Iris. ** _I certainly remember you, little Iris._**

The little girl giggled and petted Yin's snout. "You're a really pretty dragon," she smiled.

Yin chuckled softly at the remark. ** _Why, thank you for the compliment._**

"Let's get going, Iris," I suggested. "We'll have to hurry before things start getting out of control." Iris nodded and mounted my dragoness behind me as I held the moon globe. "Worry not, my friends," I assured the soldiers. "Iris will be perfectly safe in my care. No harm will come to her; Phantom's promise," I told them before flying back up to the clouds.

 ** _Now, time becomes like liquid while going through the cloud barrier,_** Yin explained to Iris. ** _Be patient, and we'll get to where we need to go._**

"Okay," Iris replied before we entered the cloud-cover. Once again, the air became thick and hard to move in. The trip through the barrier became a struggle to creep through the unending storm. As the air became easier to move in, we finally broke out from the clouds above Heartland City.

"Now where would be the best place to keep a person safe in this situation?" I muttered to myself. My mind-reading wandered back to Heartland Tower, where I was able to pick out Lotus, Hart, and Dr. Faker. Hart's likely to be around the same age as Iris, and Lotus would be happy to do me a small favor like keeping an eye on Iris. "Iris, I'm going to bring you over to that building over there," I explained, pointing to the base of the tower. "A couple of friends of mine will keep an eye on you. Don't worry, there's someone there I'd like you to meet; and he's your age."

"Okay," she complied. "As long as Vector isn't around. He never liked me whenever I came to visit the castle," she growled.

"And I can tell that the feeling is mutual," I replied, glancing back at her confused face. "That means you don't like Vector either; neither do I." Yin flew us over to the mentally crowded Heartland Tower and let us dismount. I returned the moon globe to Iris before we headed inside, with Yin staying outside.

There were so many worried people in the tower, I was having difficulty discerning my emotions from theirs. Keeping a hand on Iris' shoulder, I managed to find Lotus in the crowd and tapped her shoulder.

"Star. What brings you here?" she inquired.

I gestured to Iris beside me. "I had to bring Iris here away from the trouble outside. Can you keep an eye on her for me? I'm sure she'll also want to meet Hart upstairs."

"She'll be safe with me here," Lotus nodded. "Though I've never heard of this 'Hart' you speak of."

"I'll bring you to him," I told her, leading them up to where Hart was standing, his father having gone to monitor what was happening. The little boy turned around hearing our footsteps.

"Hi Star!" he waved happily.

"It's been awhile, Hart," I greeted before bringing the little one behind me forward. "This is Iris. She's a little one who's around your age."

"Um... hi," the little girl waved shyly.

Hart smiled brightly in response. "Hey there! My name's Hart."

"I am Lotus," my botanist friend introduced herself. "I'll be keeping an eye on Iris for Star until the trouble outside blows over."

Hart looked at both of us. "You two really look like each other. Do you know that?"

"I suppose we somewhat look alike," I chuckled in embarrassment. "Anyway, I'd better get going. Yuma and the others need all the help they can get."

"That's true," Hart grinned. "You probably should get going." I nodded before heading out.

"We should probably see where Yuma and the others are," I considered as I hopped onto Yin. "I don't feel anyone's minds that were battling the Barians before."

 ** _No, more time has passed than we realized,_** Yin revealed. **_Their monsters came to me while you were gone. They're in the Shadow Realm now, Thomas included._**

"Quattro," I remembered. "His brothers must be devastated. We have to find them fast, before they start worrying about us, too."

Yin nodded once before we took off. We soared above the empty roads, keeping an eye out for anything that could tell where they were. My eye caught on a car that had the Arclight family symbol emblazoned on the hood, with Quinton and the others in and around the car. Yin dropped down to where the group was, allowing me to jump down to the ground near them.

"Quinton," I called to him, getting the whole group's attention. "What happened? I scanned over the entire city and I can't detect any trace of anyone who was fighting the Barians a while ago." I saw his memories from when Bronk offered to fight the Barians, with his brother doing the same a while later to fight Shark. His memories, along with Trey's, showed that Quattro's signal was lost. "I see," I replied to their thoughts.

Quinton turned around to meet my eyes, walking up to me. "At least you returned safely," he murmured. Without warning, he suddenly hugged me, letting his thoughts wash over me. I froze in place from the sudden movement and the rush of sadness, grief, fear, and all sorts of mixed emotions. After a minute I returned the hug, offering him a little comfort from our loss.

"If you lost your brother's signal," Yuma muttered, "does that mean he's been sent to Barian world?"

"No," I replied firmly as Quinton pulled away. "Don't forget about my Shadow Ring. All of our fallen friends will be kept safe in the Shadow Realm, in the care of their own monsters, until the Barian tube that took them is gone."

Yuma didn't pay attention to me, falling to his knees in grief and sadness. "No way. It _can't_ be true! Quattro and Bronk, and the others are gone? Why did this... Why did this have to happen to them?!" he burst out crying. "It's all my fault. It's my fault they're..."

"No it's not," I broke out, hiding my eyes. "Yuma, this was never your fault, it was mine. I had a plan to end this war before anything bad happened, and the worst part is I didn't tell you all sooner."

"What are you talking about, Star?" Tori asked. "I'm sure you wouldn't have been able to do any more than the others did."

"You're wrong, Tori," I denied. "As a mind-reader, I figured out a heck of a lot more about the Barians than you did. I know the truth the Barian emperors hide. I know who Don Thousand is and what he's done and plans to do!"

"But how?" Caswell pressed in suspicion. "Have you _been_ to Barian world or something?"

I took a deep breath before I replied, "Yes, I have. More than once." Everyone's shock and rising anger began to grow. "Wait. Before you start hating me for being a traitor or not telling you, just hear me out. It started when Alito first came to Earth. I saw right away that Alito was much more childish and human-like based on his thoughts and emotions; not to mention he and Girag were almost like brothers. It didn't add up: if the Barians were so evil, why were they like this? As a result, I went to Barian world, planning on learning as much as I could. The second I was there, - it felt like the world itself was dying, believe me - I had a vision of what Don Thousand really looked like, and he told me I would regret coming into contact with his tributes. Ignoring the vision, I approached Dumon, who was with a little Barian girl named Iris; she looked almost exactly like Rio, with a different hair and eye color. I promised Dumon that I would free him and his fellow emperors from Don Thousand's plan, along with Iris, with a gift of a moon globe."

"The most solemn promise a Phantom can make," Quinton recalled from when I lived with his family.

I nodded. "The second time I went was after Yuma's second duel with Alito, when my full powers were unsealed. Vector, known as Ray at the time, had attacked Alito while he was where he and Girag were living. I made sure Vector didn't do too much damage, and went to get Mizar for help. He and Girag were pretty upset about what had happened, so I brought Alito to Barian world with Mizar. Not long after we met up with Dumon again and placed Alito in a crystal to heal, Girag came back in the same state. I knew Vector's plan, but I knew you enough to know you wouldn't believe me.  
"A while before Sargasso, I went to Barian in an attempt to give Dumon and Mizar a heads-up on Vector's plan. But I couldn't speak with them, as Vector was already there. I witnessed firsthand Mizar's hatred towards Vector and everything he did. A fact that proved useful when I spoke with him at Temple Draghos."

"I thought you read his thoughts from a distance," Tori recalled.

I shook my head. "It was my way of keeping you from growing suspicious. I found out that Vector has phasmophobia: the fear of ghosts. With the ghost-like monsters in my deck, I was planning to give Vector a scare so he'd leave us alone. But when I saw Alito and Girag, it felt as if they were being possessed. At the undersea ruins, I tried to drop the hint that the war between Barian and Astral world was pointless without a good reason; but you didn't notice. Then with the Fearsome Four, one thing led to another, and while you guys were fleeing the Barians, I went to their world to fulfill my promise to Dumon. I found Iris and brought her here, assuring the soldiers there that she would be safe. You may not believe this easily, but none of the Barians besides the emperors have a Barian form. They're just like regular people that were claimed by the wrong god.  
"If you guys want to blame anyone, blame me!" I cried, tears threatening to fall. "I know perfectly well I could've just told you and we wouldn't have to deal with this. That as a Phantom I should've done all I could to end this war at its source. But I was scared of losing the only family I had left. I didn't want to lose the only people who wouldn't treat me like a monster!"

"Star," Tori muttered, "it's not your -"

"Fault?" Kite interrupted, staggering out of the car. "We're all to blame for this. There's no point in sugarcoating the truth, Yuma. And Star, there's no use in letting the blame fall on yourself. We don't have time for self-pity."

"Kite is right," Quinton agreed. "Unless we finish the Barians once and for all, Quattro and the others fought for nothing."

"You're right," Tori nodded, "but I don't get why Shark turned on us all of a sudden."

"It doesn't matter," Kite growled. "Shark is a Barian now, and we've got to stop him no matter what."

"I don't care if he's a Barian!" Yuma retaliated. "Shark's still our friend!"

"Quattro was his friend, and Shark took him down," Kite shot back. "Face it, Yuma. He's no friend. He's our enemy now."

"I'm not giving up on Shark, or any other Barians!" Yuma countered stubbornly. "I know we can convince them to stop all this fighting. What Star told all of us proves just that! Maybe it doesn't make sense, but we've got to keep trying to understand each other. As long as we do that, I know we can find a way out of this."

 _A path that avoids battle,_ Astral realized.

"All right," Quinton complied. "Show us the way."

"I don't have one," Yuma admitted.

"Perhaps we do," Astral spoke up, gesturing to himself and to me. "Star had a fairly well thought-out idea of it herself. Instead of fighting the seven Barian emperors, let us eliminate the source and defeat Don Thousand instead."

"Don Thousand?" Tori echoed.

"Who's that?" Cathy inquired.

"Don Thousand is the great Barian deity," Astral explained. "I defeated him long ago, but he must've been resurrected, for only his great power could cause _this_ much destruction. Perhaps Don Thousand used the emperors to revive his own power."

"Don't forget, he plans to use them all as tributes," I reminded. "Don Thousand is controlling Alito and Girag as we speak. He's the reason why Alito wasn't at all like himself at Spartan City, and why Girag suddenly turned vicious at the Duel Sanctuary."

"Then let's go to Barian world and beat him!" Yuma exclaimed. "That guy doesn't stand a chance!"

"I won't be going with you," Kite confessed.

"Kite, what do you mean you're not going?" Yuma asked.

Kite didn't answer, but his thoughts gave me one. "Come on, Orbital."

"Aye-aye, c-c-c-Captain," Orbital stuttered.

"I've got more important things to do than run around with you," Kite hissed.

"But Kite, what could be more important than this?" Yuma asked. "Kite, wait! Kite!" The blonde ignored his blurring vision and walked away, with Orbital transforming into his bike mode and driving off.

My bracelet started sounding off, as well as those belonging to Trey and Quinton. We all looked at them, eyes widening slightly at what we saw. "Yuma, Trey and I are not going with you," Quinton told him. "For what the seven emperors have done, we're going to get our revenge for Quattro." I heard from their thoughts what they really wanted, using the words to cover it up.

"Quattro wouldn't want that!" Yuma asserted. "We gotta stick together. He'd be the first in line to go to Barian world!"

"We'll never know if that's true, 'cause he's gone," Trey countered. "You go and run away from the emperors like a coward. You have to be strong in order to take revenge. I'm sick of hearing you talk about how dueling is all about friendship. If you want to know what dueling's really about, go and ask Quattro." With that, the two brothers walked back into the car, Quinton returning to the driver's seat.

"I'll catch up with you, Yuma," I added. "First, I need to have a little chat with who those two are planning on facing."

"Star, not you too!" Yuma cried. "You're the only one who knows the whole truth!"

"You'll find out as well soon enough," I assured him as I went to follow Quinton and Trey. "Like I've said before: _I'll be right back_." I climbed into the passenger side of the car while Trey climbed in the back before we drove off.


	15. And Family Was Lost

"You were very brave, Star, telling us all back there," Quinton commended me as we drove to the wall around Heartland. "I don't think even _I_ could be able to hold such a dangerous secret for so long."

"Anyone would've cracked under the pressure, Star," Trey added. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"I honestly believed you would all think I betrayed you," I admitted. "I've been conversing with the enemy all this time. I've been trying to end this war with as little casualties as humanly possible. And since a huge portion of our group is already gone, it might already be too late for whoever remains."

"You're only punishing yourself over something that was too much for you," Quinton murmured. "Star, you tried your best to help many people all on your own. But you need to accept help when you need it. No one can do such a task as ending a centuries-long war all by his or herself."

"I suppose you have a point," I replied quietly. "Besides, I know what you two are really trying to do; and it's definitely not solely getting revenge for your brother. You're really placing yourselves as decoys so Yuma can get to Barian world before the Barians catch them. I decided to join in because I needed to have a chat with those guys."

Quinton chuckled. "I figured that one was coming sooner than later. I'm sure you also know why Kite and Orbital rode off as well."

"I know as much as you do, Quinton. It's something to do with an ancient power sealed away on the moon," I recalled. "Jinlon told Kite about it back at Temple Draghos."

Quinton frowned in worry for his former pupil as we stopped at the wall. "By the way, what does this 'Iris' look like?"

"She's a little one around Hart's age," I replied as we all got out. "Her hair is around the same color as Tori's, and her eyes are light blue. She's very sweet, and not anywhere near as stubborn as Rio." We all teleported up the wall, since there wasn't a ladder. We looked down from the broad top of the wall, towering over the city-now-ghost-town.

"Oh, and before we get to the fighting," Trey halted as he pulled out a small package wrapped in what looked like a small towel, "Yuma's grandmother gave me this while I stayed with his family." He unwrapped the cloth to expose three balls of Duel Fuel, handing one to Quinton and one to me. Quinton and I shrugged at each other and began eating as Trey did.

"I must say, Trey, this is delectable," Quinton remarked as I nodded in agreement. "What is it called again?" he asked.

"It's Duel Fuel," his brother explained. "A Tsukumo specialty."

"Imagine if Yuma could duel as good as this tastes," Quinton mused with a smile before turning serious. "Trey, I'm... sorry we had to leave Yuma the way we did."

"There was no other way, Quinton," Trey comforted his brother. "We knew the Barians were minutes away."

"And if Yuma figured that out, he would've wanted to fight them and not take 'No' for an answer," I added after I finished my snack.

Quinton nodded at me. "But this way, he'll carry out his mission to take out Don Thousand instead. He and Astral are the only ones who can end the battle. We'll be the decoys and draw the Barians to us instead, till they're safely on their way," he stated before doing the same. "Star, only you have the ability to follow them, as well as the heart to connect to the Barians. Should things start getting violent, you will have to flee. Your Shadow Ring won't allow us to be sent to Barian world; besides, the Shadow Realm is likely much safer than Don Thousand's grasp."

Trey smiled, "Quinton, you really believe they can do this, don't you?"

"They're our last chance, Trey," Quinton countered. "I believe in them, because Yuma's always feeling the flow. And Star has a heart that can truly tell her friends from her foes."

"Incoming," I warned as Mizar's mind suddenly shot up really close.

"You two pests know where Yuma and Kite are, and I want to know right now," the blonde in question commanded as he appeared, paying me no mind.

"Not a chance, Mizar!" denied Quinton. "We'll never tell you anything!"

"I believe the power of my Galaxy-Eyes will sway you," Mizar smirked.

"There's only one way to find out," Trey countered. "Besides, if we chickened out, Quattro would never let us live it down."

Mizar chuckled, "You can ask him yourself. You'll be with him very soon." His Barian aura flared even more than ever, with Neo Tachyon's spirit growling behind him. "I will crush the both of you with my Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon."

"Kite likes to battle with a Galaxy-Eyes Dragon, too," Quinton mused, noticing the spirit. "That's bad news for you."

"And why is that?" the blonde inquired cockily.

"Because I taught Kite everything he knows about Galaxy-Eyes," Quinton replied. "So, Mizar, you've messed with the wrong duelist!"

Mizar stared down at the brothers. "I doubt it; and I will prove that by taking you both on together."

Quinton only smirked. "Your ego is about to experience a rude awakening."

"You picked the wrong family to mess with, Mizar," Trey added.

"Enough talk. Let us have some fun." Mizar commenced his Barian Battlemorph as the brothers readied their d-pads and gazer tattoos.

 _Quinton,_ I alerted, _you may know about Photon, but Tachyon is on a whole different playing field. Try not to get cocky. Neo Tachyon's a really powerful spirit; keep the Chaos Over-Hundred off the field, and you might stand a chance._

"All right," Quinton agreed. "Ready, Trey?"

"Yeah, totally," his brother replied as they prepared for the duel.

 ** _You are right to quiver with dread._**

I jerked around at Don Thousand's voice. A long ways away, I could see a shade of the Chaos deity holding Girag and Alito by the throats.

 ** _My untold power can annihilate you in the bat of an eye,_** the spirit threatened as he took over the two Barians' minds. For a split second, the apparition of Don Thousand locked eyes with me over the distance. Reliving when I saw the eyes of my Dead-Heart parents, I felt cold; as if I was being encased in cold, hard Baria Crystal. I tore my eyes away from the sight, in shock that I got such a reaction just by the long-distance eye contact. Shaking the sensation out of my head, I stopped myself from shaking.

"I will allow you to face me two-on-one," Mizar told Quinton and Trey, "but you will have to share your LP."

"All right," Quinton agreed, "but we get to begin the duel. I'll go first." Quinton took first draw, activating lvl 9 Deep-Space Cruiser IX's effect, summoning it after tributing another Cruiser. He then used Monster Reborn to bring back the other Cruiser, overlaying them to summon rank 9 Dyson Sphere.

"It's colossal," Mizar mused in surprise.

Quinton used a spell called Spell Summon Stopper to prevent Mizar from summoning monsters with a spell card. "I studied the duel data I got from my brother Quattro when he dueled Shark. I learned that using Rank-Up Magic to summon a Chaos Xyz monster is the key to your Barian strategy, so I'll prevent you from using it."

"Good call, Quinton," I complimented him.

"We shall see if your strategy was correct," Mizar glowered.

"Yes, we shall," Quinton smirked as he set two facedowns to end his turn.

 _I see it, but I can't believe it._

 _Oh, I believe it. I just hope_ I _never have to_ face _it._

I startled at hearing Dumon and Rio's minds. "Dumon and Rio coming in fast," I yelped. The brothers followed my gaze to see the light blue and silver light streams land next to Mizar, becoming the two Barians that had apparently seen Dyson Sphere.

"Came to watch this Barian beatdown?" Trey inquired.

 _Soon the stage will be set,_ Quinton thought towards me.

 _Right,_ I nodded. _Then, we'll be able to get the answers we need. Besides Shark, these three are the only Barians still in their right minds._

"Dumon, Marin, you two are not needed," Mizar admonished his comrades. "You go after Yuma and Kite."

"All right," Dumon nodded in response.

"Oh no you don't," I interrupted, catching their attention.

"Ready, Quinton?" Trey asked.

Quinton nodded. "Leaving so soon? You just got here." The three of us lifted our bracelets, with our powers combining to make a lavender blue half-sphere field. With the structure created by the Crests and reinforced by my Shadow power, the Barians were trapped. "Why don't you all stay for a while?" he asked.

"It seems we don't have much choice," Dumon remarked.

 _Well, well, looks like someone built a better mousetrap,_ I heard Vector's thoughts. _The perfect way to catch_ rats _like them. I think I'll stick around. Wouldn't want to miss them suffer._

My eyes narrowed at his thoughts. I locked my powers on the psychotic Barian, figuring out exactly where he was. Glancing behind me, I clenched my fist, visualizing Vector being chained down with a crystal shackle of my own on _his_ ankle. I could sense Vector's surprise when he found himself in the position he put _me_ in for three times; at least now he won't be able to pull any sneaky tricks.

"Dumon, Marin, leave this to me," Mizar told the other Barians. "Quinton, I should thank you. By trapping us all here, you have given me a _captive_ audience. Now, the others can relish watching me beat you. I promise to give them quite a show, though I imagine you will be in too much distress to enjoy it!" He took his draw and special summoned lvl 8 Schwarzchild Limit Dragon, since Quinton had a monster with over 2000 atk. He activated the spell Ergosphere to summon another Schwarzchild Limit Dragon, overlaying them to summon his rank 8 Tachyon Dragon.

"I thought this'd be tough," Trey remarked. "Now I know it."

"Look, you two," I began as I looked over at Dumon and Rio. "I have a couple of questions to ask you while you're stuck in here. Since we're already on decent terms, I won't threaten you with my scythe like I did with Mr. Heartland."

"Fair enough," Rio complied. "Ask away."

"For one thing," I started, "why did you openly threaten all of us like that when you saw that I was at the front line? You know I mean you no harm unless you do something cruel concerning me or the others."

"My brother only wanted us to defeat Yuma." Rio replied simply. "The rest of us had nothing to say in the matter. He knows Astral world wants to destroy us and is a threat to our people. And if you try anything with us, he'll be after you as well."

"As far as I'm concerned, Astral world is afraid of Barian world; or, to be specific, Don Thousand. Now I'm riding off reports my monsters got from duel spirits of Astral world, but it seems that the protector of Astral world wasn't even aware of the existence of any Barians besides Don Thousand to begin with. That means he never knew anything about you, the other emperors, or even the soldiers on Barian world."

A huge light behind me made me spin around to see Dyson Sphere being destroyed. The force of the blast hit me like a wrecking ball, throwing me just as hard as it did Quinton and Trey, if not more so. I hit the floor not far from Quinton, who was in just as much pain as me from the blow. _You okay?_ I asked as I struggled to my feet.

 _We'll be fine, Star,_ Quinton replied as he and Trey got up. _We'll show Mizar what it means to mess with our family._ I nodded at his thoughts and turned back to Dumon and Rio.

"You can get hurt even when you're not part of a duel?" Dumon asked in curiosity.

"Yes," I replied reluctantly. "That's why I stay a safe distance from a duel. Light-attribute monsters' attacks are especially painful if I'm caught in the crossfire." A huge spike of power caused us to look towards Trey, who activated Rank-Up Magic Argent Chaos Force. I sensed a shock of severe pain coming from Trey's bracelet, where his Crest was. He overlaid his rank 6 Chronomaly Atlandis to Xyz summon Chaos Number 6: Chronomaly Chaos Atlandis, battling and equipping the opposing dragon.

"Impossible," Dumon gasped. "How could these humans have this power?"

"The combined power of the Crests and the moon shards," I replied.

"And he stole Tachyon Dragon," Rio added.

Dumon nodded, "You're right. All their moves were planned to rob Mizar of his Galaxy-Eyes."

"Mizar's starting to get pretty ticked," I reported as the blonde performed a Chaos Draw to pull out Rank-Up Magic The Seventh One, the very card that was used in all the casualties. But realization dawned on Mizar that he couldn't use it.

"No," Mizar murmured. "No!"

"Afraid so, Mizar," Quinton fired back. "From our data on Shark, I know you can use The Seventh One to rank up your Number into a Chaos Number as long as it's in your Graveyard. But it's not in your Graveyard, is it? It belongs to us now."

"And do you know why?" Trey inquired in turn. "It's simple. Because we stole it, so you couldn't use your Rank-Up Magic card."

"Your goal from the very beginning was to prevent me from summoning Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon," Mizar realized.

 _Mercy, mercy me,_ Vector thought behind me, still unable to be free of my shackle. _Poor Mizar. You just got schooled, fool. This is unbelievable! Mizar's getting outplayed by two bumbling brothers! How pathetic, and embarrassing!_

 _Quiet you!_ I mentally shouted at him, causing my power to shock him through the shackle.

Mizar clenched his fist. "You may think you have angered me, but all I feel is pity. Pity for you, because your last move has assured that you two cretins will suffer an agonizing defeat at my hands."

"Quinton and Trey were quite clever to have come up with that strategy," I remarked. "But there's still something I have to ask. Dumon, you knew that I was going to try to end this war of worlds _with as little casualties as possible_! I promised you that if you let me defeat Don Thousand, I'd save all of you! Why didn't you tell Shark?! Doing so would've prevented him from doing anything rash; like, for example, that massacre you pulled."

Rio's eyes widened while Dumon hid his under the glare of his glasses. "What's this about a promise?" Rio demanded.

"I..." Dumon began slowly, "It's true, Marin. Star promised me that if she was allowed to defeat Don Thousand, we'd be free from his power over us."

"Rise, Chaos Number 9: Chaos Dyson Sphere," Quinton declared. I looked over to see that Quinton managed to Chaos Evolve his ace monster. "Careful; any monster that battles Dyson Sphere becomes its OLU. And once per turn, it can deal you 500 damage for every one of its OLUs."

"He's smart," Dumon commented. "His tactics are tight and his skills polished."

"You're right," agreed Rio. "I misjudged this human. Let's hope Mizar did not as well."

"I doubt Quinton's fully human anymore," I remarked. "Creating those cards; turning my moon shards into jewels that house the Crests; Chaos Evolving his monster. Quinton's soul has already become bonded to my own, but I never thought the bond would go _this_ deep." My bracelet glowed for a second, briefly showing the Red String of Fate between us. The thread had gotten much thicker, and its scarlet glow was deeper in color. "I was told that the bond between a Phantom and her soulmate runs deep, and that the Phantom's powers can be transferred to the other. But I never heard it going so deep so the soulmate partially _becomes_ a Phantom."

We watched as Quinton used Chaos Atlandis' three OLUs to reduce Mizar's LP to 1. _Unthinkable,_ the Barian thought as he fell to the floor. _How could I have let mere humans reduce me to a single LP?_

"Mizar will punish them for that," Dumon glowered.

 _Mizar, you must be in Mizar-y! Now Chaos Dyson Sphere's special ability will wipe out the rest of your LP,_ Vector jeered.

"Chaos Dyson Sphere, bury that Barian!" Quinton ordered his monster. "Wipe out his remaining LP. Consider this final move payback for what you miserable Barians did to our brother Quattro. Oh, and Mizar, we wanted this last blast to pack a bit of extra punch, as a painful reminder of what we think of your 'great' Barian leader, Nash!" The blast caused a mushroom cloud where Mizar lay.

But, once the smoke cleared up, the blonde was still standing, his remaining LP untouched. He activated the trap Damage Rebound to negate all the effect damage and force the brothers to send Tachyon back to Mizar's deck.

"This looks bad," I remarked in near-panic. "I have to find a way to stop this - AGH!" I shrieked as something hit me in the back, falling to my knees.

"Star, what's wrong?!" Quinton called to me in worry.

 ** _Foolish little wench,_** Don Thousand's voice echoed in my head. ** _You have become far more of a nuisance than a thing of your race ought to be. I could just get rid of you now, but I would prefer to see you suffer under the hands of my tributes, who you dared to interfere with in my dormancy._**

I screamed as the pain streaked through every scar I had. "Get out of my head, you demonic deity! Or I swear by the God cards and the Sacred Beasts _I will tear your black soul to shreds to drift through the Shadows and disappear, one painful memory at a time_!" The strange feeling returned to my eyes, and Don Thousand's nullifying thoughts had receded from my mind. I was able to see the stripe of a rocket across the sky. I could see Kite's mind in the rocket. When I looked back at Quinton and Trey, Quinton created a screen to contact Yuma.

 _"Hey, how come I can see you?_ _"_ Yuma asked.

"Time to let the cat out of the bag," Trey remarked.

"Might as well," I agreed.

"We've got something to say," Quinton began, "and we want both Yuma and our friend, Mizar, to listen. Everyone, Kite is headed for the moon. As to why, well, that begins with Jinlon."

"Kite did some digging into the legend of Temple Draghos," I continued, "and came up with an interesting theory..."

* * *

(Flashback) "What?" Quinton gasped as he and I spun to look at Kite. "I thought gathering the seven Mythyrian Numbers would lead us to the Numeron Code."

"And you think that's not enough?" I demanded.

"That's right," Kite confirmed. "I went back to Jinlon's ruins to see if I could find anything to back up my theory. When I got there, Orbital's sensors uncovered an ancient stone monolith with a riddle carved on it in Phantasmic, the language of Phantoms. 'Dragons of light and time, born in the land hidden by light. A duel at this unseen soil will reveal the code.' So what do you two make of it?"

"The dragons of light and time must mean Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon and Tachyon Dragon," Quinton concurred. "But where could the land hidden by light be?"

"What's not seen in the day?" Kite asked us.

I snapped my fingers. "The moon! That kind of land isn't normally seen during the day."

"That's it! I think you might be right," Quinton agreed.

"I am," Kite stated as he took out his ace card. "And the last line of the riddle is 'A duel at this unseen soil will reveal the code.' That means I will have a duel there with my Galaxy-Eyes. Furthermore, I deduced that 'the code' must be referring to the Numeron Code. My mission's clear. Pack your bags, Galaxy-Eyes, we're headed to the moon."

I looked behind Kite to see the dragon's spirit looking eagerly over his duelist's shoulder. "And it looks like Photon can hardly wait," I remarked.

* * *

(Star) "Kite certainly is a clever boy to have figured out all that gibberish by himself," Mizar mused. "And I commend your efforts for keeping me occupied. Too bad that is your final act."

 _"Yuma,"_ Tori realized, _"they didn't take on Mizar for revenge, they went to help us!"_

 _"Astral, we gotta go back for them!"_ Yuma called to the Astral being.

"Yuma, no," Quinton declined. "It is all up to you now; you and Star. We fought hard to clear the way for your escape. Don't let us down." He looked over at me with sadness clear in his mind, along with something else. _Star, after such a long time, I never thought that I would be able to reunite with you. I never even thought that we'd be soulmates, so deeply connected. Knowing that your power will guard us from the enemy, I do not fear what will happen._

Mizar ordered Neo Tachyon to destroy Chaos Atlandis. Right when the stony giant was gone, I felt something hit me again, this time in the side. The dragon then destroyed Chaos Dyson Sphere, landing the brothers with more damage and me with another blow to the scar on my shoulder.

"Yuma, Star," Quinton addressed. "You can do this; I believe in you."

"This may be our last duel, but we're behind you," Trey continued. "And with you every single step of the way."

"Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon, finish them!" Mizar commanded.

 _Star,_ Quinton thought as the blast tore through the air towards us. _Your name is a single word that has many meanings. You will forever be a part of my life_ _. I wish to tell you..._ The blast hit, sending all three of us flying back. Before Quinton and Trey's minds were completely gone, I heard one last thought from my soulmate as my vision went white.

 _Star, I love you._


	16. After All That I Did

(Quinton) _**Chris... Chris... Christopher, wake up...**_

My vision was blurred as I struggled to open my eyes. All I could see around me was purple and blue, swirling together like clouds. A slightly darker shape was in front of me, calling my name. As my vision began to clear, I slowly realized I was in some sort of machine. It was vaguely familiar for some reason, as was the serpentine shape that was calling to me. I was able to make out ribbon-like wings, thin talons tipped with sharp claws, and two silver lights for eyes.

 _Is that... Yin?_

 ** _Took you long enough to wake,_** the dragoness mused. ** _You and Michael were lucky that Deep Space Cruiser and Golden Jet got to you so quickly. Though I'm sure that's thanks to the Curse Dragon twins and Ido the Supreme Magical Force. Those three have been guiding monsters to their duelists since they started coming. They managed to guide Giant Grinder to Thomas as well._**

 _D_ _eep Space Cruiser? Golden Jet? Giant Grinder?_ I looked around, seeing Trey asleep in Golden Jet's seat, and Quattro in the same state, cupped in Giant Grinder's palm. I also realized that I was in the cockpit of my own monster. _Is this... the Shadow Realm?_ I asked the Dark-attribute monster.

 ** _Yes indeed,_** Yin nodded. ** _Given how you were able to come to so fast, I'm beginning to wonder whether you're fully human anymore... Did you really mean that?_**

 **** _Mean what?_

 _**What you told** **Star. You said that you... you loved her.**_

I was silent for a bit before replying, _Yes Yin; I was completely sincere when I told her._ _But what happened to Star?_ _She was hit by the blast as well; shouldn't she be here?_

 ** _My duelist is still in the real world; however, her physical energy is quite depleted. Yurei and some of the others are with her._** Yin looked behind her, seeing the violet mist gathering to form an image. ** _Ah, she must be waking up. We might as well watch, Christopher. You have the opportunity to see through the eyes of your soulmate._**

* * *

(Star) I barely had the strength open my eyes, seeing several blurry figures around me. I couldn't detect any physical minds, telling me that the Barians had left after...

I felt tears run down my face as I remembered what happened. Quinton and Trey lost against Mizar. Quinton said that he... he loved me. And now, they were... _gone._

 _**At least she's alive,**_ a dark-colored figure mused. I was able to vaguely make out the shape of Chaos Mage's headdress and scepter.

 ** _But she could well be stuck in this form,_** countered a lighter-colored form. I could tell from the clothes that it was Dark Magician Girl. My eyes were able to clear up more, letting me see Chaos Mage, Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Yurei, Necra, Nemuriko, Wretched Ghost, and Reaper of the Cards. Necra and Chaos Mage helped me stand up.

But then I realized I was partly see-through. And in my pale lavender dress.

"I'm phantomized." I focused on reverting to my physical form, but it didn't work. I tried to revert again; same result. "I can't change back," I gasped, looking at my translucent hands. "I'm stuck in my phantomized form."

 ** _Your physical energy was all but gone when the blast hit,_** Yurei explained. ** _You needn't worry about your friends; the Shadow Ring did its purpose well. Michael and Christopher are both in the Shadow Realm with the others, in the care of Golden Jet and Deep Space Cruiser. Yinlong and the rest of us saw them ourselves._**

"So Quinton and all the others are safe," I concluded. "Good thing, especially after he said he..." I trailed off, still in shock after hearing Quinton's last thoughts. "Anyway, what were all those strikes I felt? I know that they were somehow connected to Don Thousand, but that's all I can make of it."

 ** _Don Thousand struck you several times with Barian lightning,_** Chaos Mage answered. ** _His powers grow closer to their full awakening with every person sent to the Shadow Realm, but it's still not sufficient. That is why he could not fully incapacitate you during the duel. But he did subject two of the Barian emperors completely to his will._**

"Girag and Alito," I recalled. "Hopefully, Yuma's taking care of that. If I'm lucky, I might still be able to duel in this form."

As I lifted my hand, looking through my now translucent skin, I saw tendrils of Shadow mist drift up from my palm. The mist collected to form a blank card that glowed bright violet with Shadow power. Instinctively, I took the floating card, seeing that it was called Rank-Up Magic Phantom Force. The symbol on it was that of my race, the Eye of the Night: two crescent moons around a single star. The symbol of the Phantom race may not be as complex or as menacing as that of the Barians or Don Thousand, but it shows what we are: eyes in the sky.

 ** _Yin will surely like this,_** Yurei smiled, looking at the card. ** _But for now, it'll stay with us to be safe._** Yurei lightly touched the card's border, and the card vanished in a dark violet wisp. ** _You're quite lucky to have been given the Rank-Up Magic of your race. Phantasm Xyz monsters are like the Phantoms' Chaos Xyz monsters. You might need that power to fight Don Thousand._** By then, all my monsters had left except her.

"Very true, Yurei," I agreed. "Now let's go -" I was cut off when I saw four duel spirits flying up to me. Three of them looked really worried and upset as they rushed up to me. The other one looked calm, seemingly relieved.

"Lionheart, Black Ray Lancer, Blizzard Thunderbird, and Star Seraph Scout," I addressed. "Is something wrong?"

 ** _Queen of Forgotten Souls,_** the Mythyrian Number bowed to me, retracting his cat claws. ** _It is with joy that I inform you that my former duelist has been freed of Don Thousand's control. He knows how his memory was erased when Star Cestus was placed in his heart. He has now joined Utopia's duelists in saving Ponta's master, and ending the Chaos Lord and his puppet._**

"That's good to hear," I smiled before turning to the other three. "But has something happened to your duelists?"

 _ **Not yet, but something probably will,**_ Thunderbird fretted.

 ** _Our duelists are being confronted by the insane Barian,_** Scout explained, pointing at himself and at Thunderbird with its wings. ** _He wishes to absorb their powers for the sake of Don Thousand._**

 ** _My duelist has been captured by Don Thousand,_** Black Ray added, worried but keeping his temper under control. **_When I last saw him, he was tied up and unconscious. Please, help us._**

"I'll try my best," I replied. "I'm glad Alito is finally free, Lionheart. Scout, Thunderbird, go to the Mythyrians of your respective duelists and tell them your plight. Mach and Crystal are already on our side, and will likely be willing to help us if things get messy. As for you, Lancer, lead me to your duelist. I might be able to help explain the situation to Shark."

Thunderbird and Scout went to the Shadow Realm to find the Mythyrians as I followed Lancer through a **Shadow Gateway.**

* * *

When we reached the location, I found myself in an empty, black space - a place where I remember Yuma and Astral dueling 96. In the center of it was Shark, tied up with black tentacles in a dark red sphere. I nodded at Lancer in thanks as he left. I silently looked inside the sphere, seeing Shark just starting to come to.

 _What the...?_ he thought in surprise as he looked at his bonds. The memory of it came back. _Oh, right. Girag ambushed me. But why would he? I'm the leader of the Barians. Something's going on._

"Took you long enough to figure out that much," I mused as I entered the sphere beside Shark. "Don Thousand has been running amok behind your backs. He's been controlling Alito and Girag, and has been influencing Vector. Yuma already saved Alito from what I heard, but I got word from Black Ray that you were kidnapped."

"Don Thousand?" Shark echoed, eyes widening. "No wonder those two have been acting so weird. Mizar and Dumon had a hunch that something was up."

"Speaking of which, Don Thousand is the reason that you and the emperors are Barians," I explained. "Think about it: If all of you - besides Vector - were such good people in your past lives, why are you on Barian world and not Astral world? Apparently, Don Thousand wiped Alito's memory and snuck Star Cestus into his heart when he was exiled. I bet you Quick Spells to Counter Traps he did something similar to the rest of you, just when your past lives went into a downward spiral."

A circular screen appeared in front of us, showing Rio and Dumon glaring at someone off-screen; I had a pretty good guess on who. _"So, you think you'll defeat us and steal all of our powers?"_ Rio demanded.

"Marin?" Shark's eyes widened. "Dumon?"

 _"_ _You have lost your mind, Vector,"_ Dumon glowered. _"There's no way you can steal -"_

 _"Poor Dumon,"_ Vector taunted as the screen allowed us to see the whole picture. _"You obviously don't know who you're dealing with. You see, Don Thousand and I have come to an agreement."_ His maniacal laughing was soon echoed by the deeper tone of the deity's spirit behind him.

 _"No, it's really him,"_ Rio began to shudder.

 ** _You sound shocked to see me,_** Don Thousand mused.

"Incredible," Shark breathed. "Vector managed to wake Don Thousand."

"With a demon's wish, that is!" I added.

 ** _The time has finally come for you to serve your purpose,_** the spirit continued. ** _I will consume your energies to feed my power._**

 _"_ Consume _us?!"_ Dumon snapped. _"What makes you think we would_ ever _agree to let you do that?!"_

 ** _It is your destiny set in motion long ago,_** the deity continued. ** _The seven emperors possess power far greater than lesser Barians. You will grant them to me, or I will take them from you._**

 _"Don't be upset,_ _"_ Vector smirked. _"Look on the bright side: at least you get to join the winning team for once."_

 _"You're one of the emperors, too, Vector,_ _"_ Rio countered. _"He'll take you down, too!"_

 _"I think not,"_ the psycho Barian chided. _"I have become one with Don Thousand. He is a Barian deity, and so am I!"_ The power Vector let off as he transformed was enough to toss Rio and Dumon, flinging Dumon's glasses off. _"I have power!"_ Vector cackled. _"I_ am _power!"_

 _"Not for long,"_ Rio snarled as they struggled back up. _"We can beat you if we gather the other emperors."_

 _"I'm afraid not, Marin!"_ Vector laughed. _"Girag is already under my control! And none of the others can help you, either. Even that Phantom snake can't help you now._ _Alito was in my grasp, too,"_ Vector continued, _"but I have learned that he now sides with Yuma."_

 _"You're saying their allies?"_ Rio demanded.

 _"Yes,"_ Vector answered. _"Yuma, Astral, and their lap dog Alito are headed here now, but I will crush them all easily enough."_

 _"It seems you're forgetting we've still got Nash on our side,"_ Dumon fired back.

 _"Oh, you do?"_ Vector mocked with a laugh. _"Now, enough talk. I have entertained your gibberish thus far, but the time has come to face your fate!"_

"Star, I need you to do me a favor," Shark told, looking me clear in the eyes. "Dumon was the one who suggested turning to you if Don Thousand got involved in our fight. I need you to help them against Vector and Don Thousand. I can't bear to see my best friend and sister suffer at Vector's hands."

"Don't worry about it," I replied. "We don't choose sides, Shark; Phantoms are a neutral race. It wouldn't matter what side you were on; even though you are a Barian, I'd want to help you. It's like I told Dumon and Mizar: a stranger who has their sanity is far more reliable than a comrade who's lost it. And by the way, sorry about throwing those shades at you guys. I had to stall you long enough so I could get away with everyone else. No hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings," Shark agreed. "It helps to understand people after seeing their memories."

"I'll say," I smirked in reply as I left the dimensional gap.

* * *

By the time I got there, I was floating above the duel, so Vector didn't know I was there; he thought I vanished along with Quinton and Trey. He had equipped a spell card onto himself called Don Thousand's Throne, which must've caused Shark's energy to drain. He also had Number 96 on his field, but the monster looked a little more like a puppet or doll than a black form of Astral.

"I'm sure you've all met my friend," Vector mused. "Doesn't he look familiar? Yes! It's Number 96. You know, the 'fun' Astral!" While he was talking, I concentrated my powers to form daggers of Shadow crystal around me, aimed at Vector. Without a word, I launched them all down at once upon hearing, ** _Shadow Shards_**. He screamed in pain as I lowered to hover between Dumon and Rio. (Both of whom seemed relieved I was still around.)

"Despite having Dark-attribute Fiends, I don't consider 96 as 'fun,'" I retorted, crossing my arms. "It'll take more than a few bolts and a blast to take me out."

"Besides, Yuma and Astral destroyed 96," Rio added.

"No but they certainly came close," Vector shrugged as he set a facedown. "Luckily I snatched up what was left, and made a few improvements of my own. Now he exists to do my bidding. 96 is my puppet, which is exactly what you will become very soon. It must be nice to have something like that to look forward to. But first, to get rid of our little intruder."

With a wave of Vector's hand, pulses of Chaos power made me feel like I was being forced into the wall. I used my powers to shield me from the pulsing, but I was still not strong enough from before. Without even a fighting chance, I was tossed into the wall, almost instantly encased by Baria crystal.

* * *

 ** _Why do you continue defying my power, Phantom?_** I heard Don Thousand ask me. I suddenly found myself in the same setting as the vision in which I saw him, - a space surrounded in vaguely reflective crystals - with Don Thousand in front of me. Both our powers formed auras of electric indigo and Chaos red, flooding the space with light. ** _Do you wish to be destroyed like all those weak humans? Are you unaware that your powers are inferior to my own? Or do you simply not know when you are soundly beaten, like everyone who is foolish enough to dare fight against me?_**

 _My answer isn't any of that; it's because my full power can easily surpass your own,_ I replied, my voice a chilling echo. _The Shadow Realm is far stronger than Barian world, Don Thousand. It contains the powers of every duel monster in existence; including yours._

 _**Your power as of now is less than half of your supposed full power. Your precious Shadow energy is hardly enough to destroy the all-consuming power of Chaos.**_

I narrowed my eyes, looking towards the shadows that Don Thousand made. They seemed to be reaching for me, wanting to give me their strength. They grew to touch the shadow I cast in this space, helping my power to return. While watching them, I realized something.

I looked back up at Don Thousand's heterochromatic eyes, the strange sensation returning to my eyes. _No. It is more than enough_ _._ _The power of Shadows is eternal. You can't get rid of me no more than one can outrun their own shadow. If one gives them power to do so, a shadow can easily outgrow and consume the being who casts it._ My power surged through the shadows, rushing through the crystal around me and tearing it apart. Cracks webbed across the area from the surging power as it continued to grow. In seconds, the crystal completely shattered.

* * *

"Oh Marin, you're barely hanging on by a thread," Vector mocked as I was freed of the crystal prison. "One more blast and you're through. It's just like old times: I destroyed you years ago, and now I have the pleasure of destroying you again!"

"Again?" she echoed in confusion, the memory of it under the surface.

"Come now, you mean you don't remember?" Vector inquired in amusement. "I guess it's up to me to brush the cobwebs off your brain. Let's stroll down memory lane; the memory lane of pain! Think back deary! I'm the one who erased you and Nash from existence!"

With a psychotic cackle from Vector and a gasp from Rio, I saw the lost memories. Bits and pieces flashed through my vision. Vector pushing Marin off a cliff; her and Nash falling into a dimensional rift; the spirit of Abyss sending their souls to their descendants; and the twins waking up in the hospital after the car crash that took their parents.

"I remember... _everything_ now," Rio breathed.

"I've despised Nash from the very moment I laid eyes on him!" Vector snarled. "Everything he did - every word he spoke - annoyed me to no end! I knew that one of us would have to leave forever; better him than me. But I vowed to eliminate him only if he truly got out of hand. So I devised a clever game; a little 'point system' if you will. Each time Nash angered me, one point; speak to me without bowing first, one point. Reach a million points and I would end him! But I never imagined he could score twice that in under two days! So I set out to strike at Nash as viciously as I could. And the bait was his sister Marin! When you two fell into the abyss, I was certain you were sunk for good!"

"You _son_ of a _Zombie_ -type!" I hollered in rage.

"But you were wrong," Rio trembled with fury. "We returned as the humans Reginald and Rio Kastle. We met Yuma and his friends and grew very close to them. But this tormented Nash to no end. As his memories of being a Barian returned to him and his mission became clear, he was faced with the fact that his best friends would soon become his sworn enemies."

"Oh my, however did poor little Nash manage?!" Vector asked in a jeering tone. "The almighty Nash wasn't so mighty after all!"

"I've had enough of you Vector!" Rio snapped, her powers surging like an arctic gale. "Your madness ends now." She took her draw and activated Rank-Up Magic The Seventh One to Chaos evolve Number 103: Ragnazero, into Chaos 103: Ragnafinity. "Savor your final moments. I'm taking all the pain and suffering you've caused and sending it rocketing back to you! This is goodbye, Vector. I'm going to wipe out all your LP in a single turn!"

"Go ahead, try it," Vector challenged. "But if I've got even one point left, you take the same amount of damage I do, and you'll be through! Which means this will be the second time you have faced annihilation at my hands!"

"I wouldn't count on that," Dumon countered. "You will pay for your betrayal; mark my words, Vector."

"He deserves every bit of punishment that comes to him," I hissed.

"Dumon, Star," Rio addressed. "You couldn't be more right. I know how to eliminate all his LP, but it will come at a great cost." She activated the spell Distortion Crystal to double the change of the atk of any monster; namely, Vector's Number 43: Manipulator of Souls. She then activated the Zero Blade spell to lower its atk by 1000; 2000, when doubled by Distortion Crystal, which lowered Manipulator's atk to 1500. Using a Chaos OLU on Ragnafinity, Rio used her monster's effect to deal damage equal to the atk Manipulator lost, cutting Vector's LP in half. Zero Blade also allowed Ragnafinity to attack twice. "Fitting, since I owe you two times the payback. You tried to destroy me and my brother Nash, so it's perfect that this punishment comes as a pair."

Ragnafinity attacked the opposing monster, causing Vector's LP to drop to 700. Even though Manipulator can't be destroyed when equipped with a Number, Vector still felt the damage. However, right when Rio's monster attacked again, Vector activated the Damage Pot trap to seal away all the damage, allowing him to use Don Thousand's Throne to bring his LP back to 4000. Vector was about to command Manipulator to get rid of Rio with its effect when I heard the deity again.

 ** _Vector, stop! Think, you senseless fool! Ragnafinity's special ability will deal us damage, too._**

 _I know that,_ Vector replied. _But I have 4000 LP now. I can afford to lose 3300 points._

 ** _Is that so, or has your feeble mind forgotten about Marin's spell, Distortion Crystal?_**

 _You're right! It'll double the damage I take from 3300 to 6600 points. I cannot do that!_

"Come on, Vector," Rio derided, knowing her monster's effect and spell. "Let's see what you've got. You're not doubting your own brilliance, are you? Do you need a moment?"

"What about you? If I use Manipulator of Souls' special ability, you are no more!"

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Just as I thought," Dumon realized. "You are willing to sacrifice yourself."

"If that's what it takes to get rid of Vector, yes."

"In that case, I won't use the special ability," Vector decided.

"I always knew you were a _coward_ ," Rio jeered.

"You had Heartland call Yuma a puppet when you yourself are no different," I added with a smirk. "Without Don Thousand, you'd probably be long gone by now."

"How dare you speak to me that way, you worthless insects?!" the winged Barian snapped.

"You don't command any respect, unlike Nash," Rio continued. "Even our Phantom friend here is respected among spirits; I've seen for myself."

"Is that so? Speaking of your dear, beloved brother, why don't I show you how the good fellow is doing? You didn't have the itsy-bitsiest clue that I already caught him!" Vector created a large screen that showed Shark tied up, and unconscious from being drained by Don Thousand's Throne. Rio and Dumon were horrified at his current state, as was I. "It seems your glorious leader's seen better days."

"For someone who's been drained ever since a _certain_ continuous spell card activated," I hissed.

Dumon glared viciously at Vector. "Release him, you treacherous fiend!"

Vector's eyes narrowed in amusement."No, I think not. I rather like him this way. Bound and beaten is a good look for him, don't you agree? Just as the Phantom said, because every time I get my LP back, I get my energy by stealing _his_."

"You have been drawing your power from Nash?!" Dumon burst out.

"Don't act so surprised. My LP have to come from somewhere, don't they? It just so happens I'm taking them from your little buddy. In other words, the more you hurt me, the more you hurt him!"

Rio looked horrified. "Are you saying that our attacks have been hurting Nash all this time?... NO!"

"Marin..." Dumon murmured before looking murderously at Vector. "You _vicious maniac_!"

Vector laughed in amusement. "You must admit, I'm an _inventive_ vicious maniac!"

"'Inventive'? More like sick and depraved! Your madness ends now!" Dumon drew his card and activated his Rank-Up Magic The Seventh One to Rank-Up Star Seraph Sentry into rank 5 Chaos Number 102: Archfiend Seraph. "You will not drain any more LP from Nash. If the only way to break this cruel cycle is to defeat you in one turn, then defeat you I shall."

I watched Shark gain enough energy to open his eyes and say, _"Do it."_

Dumon activated the Celestial Rage spell from his Graveyard, banishing it to give Archfiend 2000 atk, raising it from 2900 to 4900. He then activated Archfiend's effect, using a Chaos OLU to take away Manipulator's atk and abilities. He knew that Celestial Rage would deal him the same amount of damage as Vector: 4900 points, wiping out both their LP. He also believed my power would save his soul from Don Thousand, just like the others. Ready to see his fate, Dumon ordered his monster to attack.

 ** _Play your trap, fool!_** Don Thousand commanded before Vector activated Evil 1, keeping his monster from being destroyed and leaving himself and Dumon with only a single LP each.

Vector insulted Dumon for not being able to defeat him like he so claimed, causing all our joined anger to burn against him all the more. Crestfallen but helpless, Dumon ended his turn, causing Archfiend's atk to return to normal, and Vector's LP to return to 4000 at Shark's expense.

 ** _Vector, enough of your foolishness,_** the deity spoke again. ** _Without our trap card, you would've lost!_**

 _But I didn't lose, did I? I know what I'm doing; do not worry. Our victory is moments away._ "Dumon! Marin! I'm afraid your time is up!" Vector sent the Evil 1 trap to the Grave to prevent himself from battling in exchange for destroying any card on the field; he chose Damage Pot. When it leaves the field, the Damage Pot breaks and releases all the sealed damage - in this case, 1300 damage - at everyone on the field. That was more than what both Dumon and Rio had, but Vector would survive and win.

 _There must be something I can do,_ Dumon thought in worry. Realization struck as the pot shattered. He activated the trap Sacred Shield to absorb all the released damage and give Ragnafinity atk equal to said damage, raising it from 2800 to 6700.

"Dumon, you're brilliant!" Rio exclaimed. "This makes Ragnafinity powerful enough to defeat Vector! We'll win!"

Dumon lowered the arm with his D-pad. "Not 'we,' Marin... you. Sacred Shield has one final effect: I must take all the damage that it absorbed at the end of this turn."

"That means you'll lose!" Rio cried as Vector cackled in triumph.

"I thought we could beat him together, but unfortunately it was not to be. You must defeat him on your own. You and Nash mean more to me than anything, Marin. Good times or bad, I cherish every moment we spent together. I wish there could have been more. Marin, I am counting on you." He turned towards me. "Star, if it can be managed, leave my soul in Mach's care."

I nodded, tearing up. "Nothing would be more fitting, good friend." With that, Vector ended his turn, ending Dumon's final LP and shattering his human form. Rio and Shark's screams felt distant as I felt his mind disappear, and myself get yanked into another attack.


	17. It Wasn't Enough

(Lotus) I stood up on the balcony of the inside of the tower with Iris and Hart. The little girl has been such a sweetheart ever since Star asked me to keep an eye on her. She has already befriended Hart as well. We were soon joined by what appeared to be a female litterbot. Her name was Lillybot, and she came from Yuma's family to help Hart's father with something. The boy gladly led her to wherever his father was working before joining us again.

Anyway, we were making sure that everybody in Heartland Tower was safe when a small black shape suddenly came through the door. It wasn't a person, but a cat. Hart seemed to recognize it, and went down to the entrance. The cat must've known him, since it didn't struggle as he picked it up. Carrying the feline, he came back up to me and Iris.

"This is Star's cat, Shadow," he stated. "I can tell because of her eyes and her collar." He pointed at the cat's eyes, which were the same color as Star's, as well as the crystal tied around her neck.

"She seems to know you, Hart," I mused, gently petting Shadow's head while keeping a hand on Iris' shoulder.

Hart nodded and put the cat down. She looked around for a bit before looking up at Iris. Shadow nuzzled her head on Iris' leg, purring in recognition.

"I think she knows I'm friends with her owner," Iris assumed as she picked up the cat. "I wonder how Star is doing out there. It sounds like it's getting bad out there."

Iris had a point; things weren't sounding very good out there. I silently prayed that Star and everyone else out there was alright, as Iris undoubtedly did the same.

* * *

(Star) When I came to, I found myself on the surface of the moon. Yin and Yurei were there, looking at me in worry.

 ** _Dumon is safely in Mach's care, as requested,_** Yurei reported. ** _But whilst you were out, Vector teleported you here to keep you from causing him and Don Thousand trouble._**

 ** _Photon, Tachyon, and their duelists still have yet to arrive here,_** Yin added. ** _In the meantime, as you can easily survive in your current form, you can look for anything that might indicate where the dragons will fight. Something tells me that I am included in this fate._**

"I don't doubt it, Yin," I replied. "If you know Jinlon and the other Mythyrians, odds are you have a part to play." I stood up and began flying around, searching for any sign of where the duel between the Galaxy-Eyes would take place. My powers scanned the area, picking up on a faint melody; one that I feel like I've heard before. Compelled to join whatever was producing the melody, I sang with it as I went closer to the source.

 _"_ _Distant moon, so big and bright;  
Softest silver glowing through the night.  
High atop the mountain gold,  
Sun unseen, the world is cold._

 _Here I wait, and here I stand,  
Early morning northern hour hand.  
Studying, in solitude,  
Looking for, a hidden clue._

 _I wish to see this world through my own eyes.  
To calm the elders and silence their cries.  
Because of you, I now gaze up and sing  
The lullaby of the moon..._

 _Found at last, I steal away,  
Moving faster through the silent shade.  
Sea of stars, like flowers bloom;  
Looking for the hidden tomb._

 _Here I found the crescent blade,  
Forged by Rakkor; surely lunar made.  
Shining down upon the earth,  
Now they'll see, I'll prove my worth._

 _I wish to see this world through my own eyes.  
To calm the elders and silence their cries.  
Because of you, I now gaze up and sing  
The lullaby of the moon..._

 _Condemned me to death.  
With my last breath,  
Sorrow and anger  
Fill my head._

 _Distant moon, so big and bright;  
Softest silver glowing through the night.  
High atop the mountain gold,  
Sun unseen, the world is cold._

 _Now I know my chosen path.  
Higher calling, they will know my wrath.  
Raise my relic blade, I will not be swayed,  
With the might of the moon by my side..."_

Yurei looked up, as if hearing something besides my song. ** _Crystal and Lionheart's duelists have both fallen,_** she intoned. **_They are both_** ** _in their care, but I fear there are still more that are yet to fall._**

I grimaced at Yurei's report, feeling helpless that I couldn't save them. Even so, I continued looking until I felt Kite's mind coming close. I looked to see the rocket coming in, and flew over. Once I entered the area, a huge stone monolith shot up from the ground and caused the rocket to crash into it. To my surprise, it had an image of what looked like Dragluon and Yin under an even bigger dragon with a prominent shadow. After the smoke cleared, I saw Kite floating down safely, Orbital as his spacesuit. Several other monoliths - not as big as the first - shot up soon afterward, each one covered in Phantasmic runes. The monoliths all created a giant circle like a crater. Unlucky for me, Kite saw me floating near the other edge of the field.

"Star?" his eyes widened. "What are you doing here? And with no spacesuit?"

"Phantomized form," I explained simply. "Things got messy, and now I'm stuck like this. If what Yurei told me is true, Shark is probably as ticked off as a copied Egyptian God. And I can already hear Mizar headed our way, double time." As if on cue, a golden light landed right in front of me, causing a blast that revealed the blonde Barian.

"Mizar," Kite glared. "About time."

"I have arrived," Mizar stated. "Yet I am certain you knew that I would come. How unfortunate that Quinton and Trey are unable to join us."

"I know. No thanks to you. And I'm sure that someone behind you feels the same."

Mizar figured that Kite was talking about me, and harbored a voiced thought I honestly didn't expect to hear. "I have a great deal of respect for them. They battled me to the end so you and Yuma could get away." He turned his head to look at me. "And Star, I know how conflicted you were during the duel."

"All three of us know that much, Mizar," I replied as I moved to hover off to the side; in the line of sight of both Galaxy-Eyes Masters.

"Thanks to them, I can finally prove that I am the true Galaxy-Eyes Master," Kite added.

Mizar's eyes narrowed. "I would not count on that."

"This duel has been a long time in the making. It has brought our two Galaxy-Eyes together. And interestingly enough, their union will also act as a key: a key to unlocking the Numeron Code. I uncovered everything about the Numeron Code when I returned to the ruins where I battled Jinlon. There, I found a stone monolith, and learned the legend of the Numeron Code."

 _"Well, Kite, you came as I knew you would,"_ I heard Jinlon's voice in Kite's memory. _"Here is written the secret history of how the Numeron Code came to be. At the dawn of time, there was a single dragon; the source of all knowledge. As he was the only creature in existence, he was lonely, so to cure his loneliness, he used his power to create the universe. With the creation of light, a female dragon emerged to join the other in his quest for creation.  
"However, this massive act of creation used up all of both dragons' powers, so the dragons started to fade away into nothing. This made the dragons sad, as they would never be able to witness how the universe would unfold. Mourning the loss of what was not to be, the dragons each shed a single tear before they vanished. Those tears merged into one, and held all the dragons' knowledge and emotions. It traveled across the vast cosmos, until it collided with the earth. The blast birthed twin dragonets that each resembled one of the original dragons. And the force of the impact gave birth to the moon."_

 _"The knowledge in that tear created the Numeron code?"_ Kite remembered asking.

 _"Yes. The Numeron Code remains hidden on Earth, and the key to finding it is on the moon. Since the Numeron Code can rewrite both the past and the future, the dragons knew it must be protected from those who would use it for evil. For this reason, the dragons used the Numbers to put a seal of protection on the Code."_

"Carved in the stone, I found this riddle," Kite continued. "'Dragons of light and time, born in the land hidden by light. A duel at this unseen soil will reveal the code.' The riddle only points to one place. That's what led me to the moon."

"The dragons of light and time," Mizar echoed. "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon and Tachyon Dragon."

"Exactly. And when they battle on this sacred land, the winner will get the key to the Numeron Code."

"That means the stakes have never been higher. Not only will we learn who the true Galaxy-Eyes Master is, whoever wins will be one step closer to the Numeron Code."

"Actually, there's even more at stake."

"What makes you think that?"

 _There were two Galaxy-Eyes engraved on the monolith,_ Kite thought. _That had to have been both our Galaxy-Eyes. But there were also other dragons; two of which looked like Dragluon and Star's dragon, Yinlong. What could it mean?_ "Battle me and find out for yourself."

Mizar smirked, eyes flashing red. "I thought you would never ask. Now we shall finally discover which one of us is the true Galaxy-Eyes Master!" With a golden flash, Mizar morphed into his Barian form, preparing his D-pad while Kite did the same, ready to duel.

"Mizar," I hovered in front of the Barian, "before you two start dueling, I have to tell you something."

Mizar's eyes narrowed at me. "Make it quick, Phantom."

I took a deep breath. "Dumon, Rio - sorry, Marin - and Alito are gone."

Yurei stiffened beside me. ** _Sandayu's duelist is gone now, as well._**

"That means Girag's down, too," I winced. "It seems Vector is killing the other emperors to steal their powers for Don Thousand. Good thing my Shadow Ring can keep their human souls in the Shadow Realm until further notice. Even so, I fear you and your leader are soon to be next."

Mizar's eyes widened as shock, horror, and fury surged through his mind. His fury was unerringly directed towards Vector; a sense of wrath that I shared with him. Even with his explosive emotions, Mizar managed to maintain his composure. "Thank you for giving me this information. After this duel, I will make sure Vector pays for all that he has done."

I nodded before going over to the surrounding monoliths, hoping to evade the Light-attribute crossfire. All of them were written in my language, so it wasn't hard to translate. Something was weird about the dragons on the first monolith, and I was hoping to find out what it was. I went over to around where the Dragons' Tear collided with Earth, reading the Phantasmic words carved into the stone.

 _[As the tear collided with the earth, it hatched like a dragon egg. Two dragonets appeared from the blast caused by the collision. The older sister, who resembled the mother, was sent flying by the impact, seemingly into another dimension across the stars. Some say that in this dimension, the young dragoness grew to be a pure and gentle creature. The younger brother, who resembled the father, was left alone on Earth as the young world grew and developed around him. For a time, the dragon lived happily and peacefully on Earth. But when his life was cut short, the kind-hearted dragon died a painful death. Some choose to believe that the brother had joined his sister at last. But others say he was sealed away like his father and mother, and still awaits his freedom.]_

"Those poor dragonets," I murmured to myself. I looked at Yin, whose silver eyes were wide with shock. "Do you know something about this, Yin?"

 ** _I feel like I know this story,_** she breathed. ** _Almost as if... I was_ there _. The dragoness near the bottom on the right looks like me; the one on the left looks like Jinlon. And those enormous dragons near the top look like the first dragon and his living shadow... This is so confusing and my memory has faded so much over time. I can't be sure whether that purple dragoness is someone else or if Jinlon and I really are twins._**

I gently cupped Yin's head in my hand, stroking her snout with my other hand. "It's alright. There's no need to turn red from your ranting, Yin. I'm-!" I was cut off when I felt the power of both Neo Tachyon and Neo Photon pulsing on the field. I looked back to see the fearsome spirits locking eyes with Yin, as if the knew her; _respected_ her, even. Both dragons looked worried, glancing back at their respective duelists.

"Master k-Kite, please le-let me help you," Orbital begged.

"Get real," Kite growled.

"I am. I-i-it's what you designed me to do, sir. You b-b-brought me online to serve you exactly six years, 151 days, 5 hours and 33 sec-c-conds ago. Remember when you first built me, you created me for one purpose: to c-c-care for your brother, Hart. Thanks to you, I-I was the most high-tech nanny e-ever assembled! I loved e-every minute of my job, even at its stinkiest moments. When it c-came to looking after Hart, I-I never dropped the ball, or the baby. And I really soared when you b-b-became a Number Hunter! I've always been there for you, Master k-k-Kite, no matter how _shocking_ the circumstances."

"I do not need your help!" Kite insisted stubbornly.

"Sometimes your at-attitude really makes my servos spin! You need me more than e-ever this time, b-b-but you're too proud to see it clearly. In-in-in fact, there's lots of things you haven't been seeing clearly lately. E-ever since you were injured in that duel with Heartland, your vision hasn't b-b-been the same! B-but even though your eyes have got a glitch, yo-you don't have t-to worry, 'cause _my_ optical circuits are fully functional. I-I can be your eyes!"

"Alright," Kite relented. "Link me into your visual systems."

"C-c-commencing ocular interface," Orbital chimed. "Data flow enabled; synching neocor-cor-cortex inputs. Visual linkup complete! You-you're back to 20/20, Master Kite."

Kite's eyes widened as he realized his eyesight clearing up before regaining his usual expression. "Great. Now don't bother me for the rest of the duel."

"I'll t-take that as a 'thank y-you'," Orbital replied slyly.

"Enough!" Mizar interrupted in annoyance. "I have been more than patient. It is your move, Kite."

 _"Patient," huh?_ I asked the Barian with a slight smirk. _That seemed more like a brotherly gesture of respect to me._

 _Be quiet before I chain you down like Vector,_ Mizar threatened, a hint of embarrassment rising in his thoughts. I smirked at his embarrassment before turning back to the monolith to hide a stifled chuckle.

 _Mizar played Galaxy Shockwave, the same card I have,_ Kite thought. _It's a safe guess that we're dueling with similar decks. This duel could go either way, but I can't afford to lose. Which means I'll have to think outside the box. And that means drawing on the power of a legend, and hoping there's truth to the tale. This better pay off 'cause there's a lot riding on my next move._ "Only one way to find out. By using the legends, and letting their power guide me."

All of a sudden, all the monoliths surrounding the crater were glowing Photon blue and feeding into Kite's body. The aura of a benevolent Number card began to glow around Kite's body, turning the blue light purple. He drew and activated Galaxy Rebirth to bring back Photon with 1500 atk, overlaying both cards to Xyz summon a new Number. An enormous sword appeared in his hand, which Kite threw towards Photon, calling out rank 8 Number 62: Galaxy Eyes Prime Photon Dragon. Yin and I watched as the sword's power flooded Photon, causing his form to break off like a shell to reveal the Number.

"All the forces of the universe gather at this moment in time!" Kite proclaimed. The Dragon-type Number roared to the vacuum of space, triumphant in its rising power as the glow of the monoliths faded.

"How did you create a new Galaxy-Eyes?!" Mizar demanded.

"By trusting my hunch that there was truth to the legend," Kite replied. "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon has been reborn as a Number and has taken a terrifying new form: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon. One of us will end this duel as the true Galaxy-Eyes Master, Mizar. I'm going to prove once and for all it's me. Let's get started, Prime Photon Dragon..." Yin and I watched as Prime Photon used his effect to give both himself and Neo Tachyon an extra rank, bringing Prime Photon's up to 9, and Neo Tachyon's up to 10. Its other ability gave it more atk equal to the total ranks of him and Neo Tachyon multiplied by 200, bringing it up from 4000 to 7800. Once the new Number destroyed Neo Tachyon, Mizar was left with only 700 LP.

"Yo-you did it, Master k-k-Kite!" Orbital cheered. "Ah, Mercury looks so romantic fro-from here. It-it reminds me of Lillybot. I wish I c-c-could've shown her how heroic I was. We make a great team, do-don't we, Master k-Kite?"

"You may have summoned a new Number, Kite," Mizar strained as he struggled to his feet, "but as you will soon see, I have some surprises of my own." He activated Tachyon Chaos Hole to banish all of Kite's cards since Neo Tachyon was destroyed. There was nothing else Kite could do, so he only ended his turn with a facedown.

I went up to one of the other monoliths, marked with two circles with arrows pointing towards a Yin-Yang symbol in the center. I began to read when the two dragonets were believed to have been reunited.

 _[The younger brother dragon lived on Earth with a boy who was his tamer. The two lived a content life in protecting a small village from many a peril, human and natural alike. But when a shaman possessed by Chaos began manipulating the villagers after a horrible flood, both dragon and tamer were betrayed. The tamer was forced to turn on the dragon alongside the villagers, fighting the creature until he fell at death's door, his tamer weeping over him. The charlatan soon revealed himself as an enemy spy as his army of allies rained arrows from the skies. The entire village was decimated, and the grieving tamer was shot through, left to die beside his dragon._

 _[The dragon's spirit mourned over the destruction of the village from afar. Some believe that the shadow of his spirit emerged as his older sister, leading him to where she went when she was lost so long ago, as the massacred village burned to the ground.]_

 ** _That didn't happen,_** Yin stated firmly. ** _If it did, Jin wouldn't have been sealed away for so long. I tried to lead him to the Shadow Realm, but the Numeron Code had other plans. In an instant, he was branded with a Number and whisked away to the temple where he lived as a Number Guardian. I only saw him once during that time: the last time there was a Dark-attribute Great Mother Phantom._**

I gently laid a hand on Yin's neck. "Then that must mean the legend is about you and Jinlon. You were the children of the first dragon and his shadow of a mate."

 ** _Kite,_** I heard Jinlon's voice from Kite's deck. ** _I must speak with Mizar. Summon me to the field._**

"Alright, I'll do as you ask," Kite agreed as he used his Double Dragon Descent trap to summon Number 46: Dragluon. Both the Number and Yin roared at each other in greeting.

 ** _Pardon me for interrupting your duel,_** Jinlon apologized to Mizar. ** _Open your mind to learn the true secrets of your past, my student. This duel will unlock your long forgotten memories._**

Double Dragon Descent's additional effect also activated, increasing Dragluon's atk to that of Neo Tachyon before attacking with Emerald Fire Strike. Once the attacks collided, I began to see Mizar's memories, narrated by Jinlon's voice.

 ** _In distant times, a dragon dwelled in the lands of mankind. You, Mizar, were my closest friend, until the day a false prophet's lies changed everything. Having fallen under the sway of his guile, the villagers forced us to turn on each other._**

 _Who was that prophet?_ Mizar asked.

 ** _Recall the truth, Mizar,_** Jinlon replied simply. I began to see the memory of Don Thousand towering over the dying dragon and tamer.

 _"Who... are you?"_ Mizar murmured.

 ** _I am Don Thousand. For a long time, I have had my eyes on you, Mizar. You are a great warrior. Your nobility and selflessness has earned you a place among the pantheon of heroes. But that is exactly why I cannot risk allowing you to oppose me. Instead, I have decided that you will serve me as I carry out my plans to rule the universe. And so, I will revive you as a Barian._** The Barian deity threw a card into Mizar's back and into his heart, causing him to cry in agony as he lay dying.

 ** _Mizar, this is not who you were meant to be,_** Jinlon lamented. ** _Don Thousand has twisted your fate, just as my Number twisted mine away from my sister. He altered your memories in order to further his plans. Mizar, this duel is your last chance to set your soul on the right path._**

 _Can what he told me be true?_ Mizar asked himself.

 _So that's what_ really _happened to Mizar; and to Jinlon,_ Kite realized, having also seen his memories in the blast as the dragons were destroyed, tossing both duelists back. Mizar's Barian form shattered as he looked upwards in shock.

"Mizar, if Jinlon knew what had really happened, it has to be true," I stated as I floated down to him and held out my hand. "Believe me, for the others all had a similar reaction to restoring their memories." He made a gesture of rejecting my hand.

"Nonsense! I almost believed that old fool's lie!" Mizar exclaimed as he forced himself up by himself. "The thought of nearly being tricked sickens me. Human foolishness must be rubbing off on me." He glared at Kite and me as he returned to his Barian form. "Did you enjoy that? A rare moment of doubt unlikely to ever happen again." With his Galaxy Rebirth spell, Mizar resurrected Neo Tachyon with half its atk points, having it attack Kite directly. "If you have any last words, now would be a good time for them."

"Here it c-c-comes, Master!" Orbital yelped. "Baria-shield, engage!" Neo Tachyon's attack pounded away at the red barrier Orbital created, causing parts of the blast to pierce through. "Are you alright, Master k-k-k-Kite?" Orbital asked.

"Yeah, just keep that shield up," Kite replied.

"Yes, sir, b-but if I wind up on the scrapheap after this duel, please tell Lillybot tha-that I fought b-b-bravely with you."

"No I won't, because you're gonna tell her yourself!"

"Tha-that's unlikely, because the shield is failing! Br-br-brace yourself!" The shield collapsed right when Orbital said that last part, causing Kite to be tossed to the ground.

"Don't read the wills just yet, boys!" I shouted. I shot in front of the blast, creating a shield of my own to block the remainder of the attack. I let down the shield after the attack ceased.

"It seems my last maneuver really 'floored' you," Mizar jeered. "It is your move. That is, if you are capable of moving. Of course the most intelligent move you could make would be to concede defeat to me." _Didn't expect Star to stick out her neck like that for Kite. Then again, if she did not, the duel would've ended with a still undecided result. Perhaps what Dumon said about Phantoms is true._

"Wa-was there any major damage to your components, Master?" Orbital asked behind me.

"No," Kite replied as he got back up, "and what about you?"

"M-my functionality is at 50%, but I can reroute power to k-k-keep my systems going."

"And if push comes to shove, I can call up a Shadow Field to keep you both alive," I alerted.

"I salute your tenacity, Kite," Mizar admitted, "but with no monsters on your field or cards in your hand, your situation is hopeless."

"Don't be so sure," Kite countered. _I just hope I can make good on that. Everything hinges on this next card._ However, just when Kite was ready to draw, pain from the previous blasts erupted throughout his body.

"Master k-k-Kite!" Orbital cried. "My servo-motors may be damaged, b-but I can still help you draw."

Kite agreed to Orbital's help, allowing them both to take their draw. "Yes, just what I need," Kite muttered as he looked at what he got. He set a monster in facedown Defense Mode before ending his turn, though he still staggered from the pain. I kept a hold on Kite's shoulder while Yin joined me, pressing the side of her neck to Kite's side to hold him up.

Mizar took his draw and used the spell Galactic Charity, discarding a card in his hand to draw two more. Next, he activated the spell Tachyon Refresh to banish Neo Tachyon soon before bring it back with full 4500 atk. He also equipped the Chaos Over-Hundred with Tachyon Cannon, trading 500 atk for being able to attack repeatedly after halving Neo Tachyon's atk until it becomes less than 500. Mizar ordered his monster to attack Kite's facedown monster, activating Galaxy Mirror Sage's effect, restoring Kite's LP by 800 - bringing it from 250 to 1050 - and returning it from the Graveyard to protect him again. But if Mirror Sage is destroyed again, it'll be banished. Mizar took the opportunity and destroyed Kite's monster after bringing Neo Tachyon's atk to 2000. Kite got back 800 more LP to bring it to 1850, but Mirror Sage was still banished. Mizar attacked directly with Neo Tachyon now at 1000 atk, bringing it to 850 LP; then to 350 LP; and finally stopping at 100 LP. I continued to shield them from every blast, but the aftershock of each blow still tossed them. By the time the barrage was over, Kite was on the ground nearly unconscious, with Orbital seemingly almost offline. Mizar finally ended his turn with a facedown.

"Master k-k-Kite, life support systems are d-down to 5%," Orbital reported. "Energy is at 3% a-and falling."

"Your little toy confirms my suspicions," Mizar stated. "You are finished."

"Mas-Master, are you... alright?..." Orbital's voice halted as he shut down.

"Kite?" I asked as I floated over; he didn't respond. "Kite, wake up!"

 _"Kite! Can you hear me?"_ I heard Yuma's voice over his com. _"It's me, Yuma!"_

"...Yuma?" Kite muttered as he opened his eyes. I created a screen to show Yuma, Tori, and Astral on the airship.

 _"Yeah it's me!"_ Yuma confirmed. _"Stay with us, Kite!"_ Yuma looked over at Mizar. _"What's with you?! Hasn't anything changed now that you know the truth about what happened?"_

 _"Don Thousand tricked you,_ _"_ Tori explained. _"Why continue fighting for him?"_

"He knows that much, thanks to Jinlon," I replied.

"Insipid human!" Mizar barked at Tori. "You could not be more wrong! This duel has nothing to do with Don Thousand. I am dueling for only one person: me. My win today will prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is I who am the one and only, the true Galaxy-Eyes Master! My great beast deserves nothing less."

Astral glared at the blonde Barian. _"Mizar, our friend Kite is-"_

"Just fine," Kite finished as I helped him to his feet. "I'm not about to quit. In fact, there's no stopping either of us."

 _"But Kite -"_

"No buts about it, Yuma," Kite cut off. "This duel doesn't end until one of us walks away the winner."

 _"Please, Kite, think! You're in seriously bad shape and you know it! There's no telling what could happen to you!"_

Kite finally managed to stand as Orbital came back online. "Yuma, you must understand. Some things need to be seen through all the way to the bitter end. And if that means a little danger, I say bring it on."

"Even someone as stubborn as you must see you have already lost," Mizar jeered as Kite drew his card. "Your Galaxy-Eyes is gone, along with your chances of winning."

"Whoa! Pot calling the kettle black!" I exclaimed. "You're calling Kite stubborn, Mizar? You're just as stubborn as he is!"

The opposing blonde froze. _..._ _T_ _ouché,_ Mizar thought.

"Besides, what you fail to understand is that there's always hope, Mizar," Kite added. He brought back Prime Photon with one of its abilities: since Prime Photon had two OLUs when it was last destroyed, it was able to come back two turns later. Mizar, Yuma, Tori, and Astral didn't see that one coming.

"Your Prime Photon Dragon is formidable indeed, Kite," admitted Mizar. "But my Neo Tachyon will bring it to its knees because it fights alongside the true Galaxy-Eyes Master. And you will fall right beside it." Mizar activated the trap Tachyon Unit (the card art on that trap looks _way_ too much like Mizar for its own good) to pay 500 LP in order to activate Neo Tachyon's effect. With his LP brought to 200, Mizar brought Neo Tachyon's atk back to 4500 and attempted to get rid of Prime Photon again; but since Prime Photon's effect activated a couple of turns ago, it wasn't affected. "Kite, that hardly matters at all. My Neo Tachyon is now stronger than your Prime Photon! You'd be crazy to attack it."

"Yeah, crazy like a fox," Kite replied. He ordered Prime Photon to attack, despite the 500 atk difference. "What's your problem, Mizar? Why do you despise humans so much?"

"I have my reasons, if you must know."

"I think something happened to make you believe humans are your enemies, and it created your distrust of us all," Kite assumed. "So you placed your trust in only dragons, am I right? I can see it in your eyes; Star looked the same way a while back. They tell a story about the connection you share with dragons."

"It was humans who took my parents' lives and left me an orphan," Mizar began. I saw and heard the faint memory of his younger self saying, _"They took my mom and dad."_ His younger self ran away from the burning village, wandering through a desert. "I wandered alone for what seemed an eternity. Ultimately I passed out, having been worn down by hunger and exhaustion. Just as I feared I couldn't go on, a miracle granted me a new beginning." Another memory emerged of him holding a glowing card that gave him the strength to stand again, and became the dragon he knew as Dragluon. "A dragon came to my aid, delivering me from fate's door. The dragon became my new family. From that moment on, dragons gained my lifelong trust; humans like you, having brought me only woe, gained my eternal scorn."

Yin and I flew over to the Barian. "You're not the only one who suffered a fate like that, Mizar. I should know; a lot of humans put me through that fire as well. Like I said when I first saw you: behind your Galaxy-Eyes stands a boy who bears the grief of watching his parents die; a burden that I also carry."

Kite nodded. "We're not so different, Mizar. I began dueling with dragons for my family, to save them from harm. Back then, I had no idea that using a Galaxy-Eyes would change the path of my life so dramatically. It led me to eventually face off against Yuma and Astral. I got to know them, and Shark, and others as well. I wound up getting involved in their adventures. I guess that's the difference between us three. You grew to distrust humans; Star was the same way, but began to trust them again; I started out not trusting them, but over time, becoming a Galaxy-Eyes user taught me to see their value." He activated Prime Photon's effect to double its atk to 8000, destroying Neo Tachyon and winning the duel as Mizar's Barian form shattered once more.

Tachyon, Prime Photon, Dragluon, and Yinlong's card all flew up above the crater, glowing in respective gold and violet colors. With a bright flash, an enormous golden dragon branded with a "100" soared from the center of the crater as the monoliths shattered.

 ** _Use the magic of your race,_** a feminine voice spoke. ** _Only that power can bring me back._**

 _She must be talking about my Rank-Up Magic,_ I realized. Phantom Force appeared in my hand, which I pointed at the dragon. I could feel the card channeling my power towards the dragon. The dragon's shadow soon emerged as a black-and-violet dragoness just as big as the golden dragon.

"How can this be?" Mizar demanded. "Two entirely new dragons have emerged!"

"It's the ones the legend spoke of," Kite realized.

The dragons hovered for a moment with their heads touching in affection. They both glowed briefly before turning into cards; one went to Kite, the other to me. Yin's card reappeared alongside that of the larger dragoness, whose name was Hakumei.

"Con-congratulations, Master k-Kite. You were amazing!" Orbital applauded.

Kite smiled. "Yeah, I know. You were better than nothing."

"Th-that was _almost_ a compliment," Orbital figured, "but I'll take what I can g-get. Permission to shut down, s-sir?..." he trailed off as he shut down again.

"We've both earned some rest," Kite mused as he collapsed to the ground.

Mizar gasped as we both rushed over to Kite.

 _"Kite, no!"_ Yuma shouted. _"This can't be! Is he alright? Oh man, I gotta get a move-on and head to the moon right away! Kite's in awful shape and needs my help!"_

"Relax, Yuma," Kite murmured as the screen shut down. "I'll be okay, at least I hope so."

 _"Hang on, Kite!"_ Faker's voice yelled over the com. _"A medical transport is on its way!"_

"Relax. It's just a couple of nicks. Although, I hope they hurry."

 _"Oh they will! They'll land in moments."_

 _"Hang on! Please Kite!"_ Hart cried.

Mizar looked down at Kite, grief crossing his face. Kite mustered up enough strength to hold out the card he got to Mizar, who carefully accepted it. Not bearing to lose another friend, I created a **Shadow Gateway** to send Kite to the safety of the Shadow Realm, using my power to lift his limp body.

"Told ya, Mizar," Kite murmured as his eyes began to close. "I knew I was the true Galaxy-Eyes Master."

"Of course you knew, Kite," I whispered, tears starting to fall as I pushed him into the portal. "And as a reward, I'm sending you to the one place I know you'll be safe. Until I can call you home again."

Kite only nodded as he was sent through.

Mizar looked at the closing portal, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Kite, you won," Mizar murmured before looking at me, eyes set in determination. "Don Thousand will _not_!"


	18. With All That Happened

Mizar's thoughts whirled uncontrollably as we flew through the vortex. _It's so strange seeing Star act so calm. I'm the one that killed Quinton and left her stuck in her current form. Why isn't she acting angry or bitter or hateful, even though I deserve all three? Exactly where did Star send Kite after the duel? What did Star mean by "the one place she knows he'll be safe"? Are Dumon and the others there as well? What should I do with this card Kite gave to me? Did Star get a similar card? Does she know how to properly use these cards?_

"Quiet!" I exclaimed when I'd had enough. "Mizar, no offense, but you and your mental hurricane is not helping all the agony and anger I'm picking up. I can easily answer all those questions that are circling around. First off, you didn't _kill_ Quinton and Trey; I made a Shadow Ring around the Barian Pipe on Earth to keep everyone's souls safe in the Shadow Realm. Which is where Kite and your fellow emperors are. The Shadow Realm is the only place where Don Thousand won't be able to touch their human souls. Besides, I'm sure if he gets the chance, Quinton might find it in himself to forgive you. I forgive you, Mizar; after all, you didn't know Neo Tachyon's blast would affect me this way."

"That's very true," Mizar admitted. "But I can sense Vector's power surging at unthinkable levels. I assume you and your spirit friends can feel it as well."

 _ **Oh, we feel it alright,**_ Yurei agreed as she appeared. ** _At this point, it isn't just Chaos Mage that feels it. Don Thousand is beginning to awaken, as are his monsters. It's causing Chaos to ripple through the Shadows._**

"Guess that means it's finally time to go through with the plan," I mused. "Yurei, rally the ghosts and send them to find Vector." Yurei nodded and disappeared. "We should've gone through with this right after Heartland was taken out. Unfortunately, visions run on their own time; and believe me, from experience, their timing is horrible."

"Why am I not surprised?" Mizar retorted. "You can go on ahead. I'll catch up to you sooner than later."

I smiled. "Thanks, Mizar. I'll make sure Vector gets that payback both of us knew he had coming to him."

The blonde nodded as I shot up ahead.

* * *

I came out of the portal hovering above Barian world. In the midst was a fragment of a setting in Shark and Vector's memories: the place where they dueled in a Shadow Game. The airship was parked beside the chunk of stone, where I also sensed Yuma, Tori, and Astral, glad that Shark was still standing. Vector was on the ground - evidently having lost the duel, from their memories - with Shark victorious. I went closer, taking care not to let my presence be known. I caught glances of the legions of vengeful ghosts all over the place, ready to have their revenge once more. The crown of the Ghost Queen appeared on my head, showing the ghosts who I was. _Peace, my subjects,_ I instructed as my soul merged with Yurei once more. _We must wait for the proper moment to strike._

"He did it! Shark won the duel!" Yuma exclaimed happily.

Vector groaned in pain. "Impossible. How could I lose to you? _How_?"

Shark avoided the question, recalling a very peculiar memory. "Can you hear their voices yet, Vector?"

Vector deadpanned as he sat up. "Can I hear the what?"

"Last time we dueled in this palace, - just like this time - you lost. That's when the spirits haunting this place - those of the people who lived in the countless villages you destroyed - dragged you into the darkness, where you belong. And it's ten times worse this time because those spirits have a queen among them now, if what happened back on Earth is any indication. So, do you hear them yet?"

"I don't hear a thing! Get real!"

Right when Vector said that, I commanded the ghosts with a single word: _Go._

The reaction was instant. The ghosts began crawling up the stone, grabbing at Vector with their translucent hands as they moaned and cried out his name. I rose from my hiding place, scythe in hand as I hovered between Shark and Vector, who was bound by the ghosts' hands.

"No, stop it!" Vector cried. "Let me go!"

"They will not," I intoned. "My subjects have waited centuries to do this. To fully exact their revenge on the person who killed them in life."

"It's over, Vector," Shark added. "Just like before, they will pull you into the Shadows."

"I don't think so!" Vector exclaimed. "Things are different now! Release me!" His eyes glowed as a blaze of power drove away the angry ghosts. They were forced to disperse, as Yurei was forced to return to her card. "This time I have more power at my command than you could possibly imagine. So if I'm going down, then I'm taking you with me!" He began using his own power to break up the stone field, lifting it above the cliffs. I used my own power with that of Vector's shadow in an attempt to prevent what he was planning. "Did you two really think you had won?" he cackled. "That it was all over? You're wrong! It hasn't even begun! I cannot be beaten; I am all-powerful!"

 ** _How interesting that you should say that,_** a voice mused, making my blood run cold as Don Thousand's giant, armored form emerged from the cliffs. ** _The power you wield is not yours, Vector._**

"You? But how can this be?" Vector demanded, recalling how he used his gained power to "erase" the deity. "I thought you had met your end!"

 ** _I am quite aware of what you thought, but it is as you say: one of limitless power cannot be beaten. You meaningless flea; did you honestly believe that the boundless power I allowed you to wield was yours to have forever? Know this: what I have given to you, I can also take away. How little you grasp._** The red eye on Don Thousand's armor began glowing and sucking everything in like a vacuum as all of us stayed on the ground to avoid being sucked in. _**You boasted that you no longer needed me. Ignorant puppet; it is**_ **I** _ **who no longer need**_ **you _!_**

"Wait!" Vector pleaded, grabbing a niche in the rock. "I beg your forgiveness! No; this can't be! It can't end like this! Somebody help me!"

Knowing Yuma, he had to be the first one to dash over. Right when Vector was almost pulled away, Yuma grabbed his hand.

"Come back, Yuma!" Astral shouted.

"You're going to get yourself killed!" I yelled. (Coming from me, that's saying a lot.)

Yuma ignored us and told Vector, "Whatever you do, don't let go! Hang on tight!"

 ** _This is most amusing,_** Don Thousand mused. ** _The helpless helping the hapless._**

"What do you think you're doing?!" Tori shouted above the noise.

"Yuma, you are in great peril!" Astral called out.

"Yeah, I know," Yuma admitted, "but I can't give up now!"

"Yuma," Shark called, "you know as well as I: he'll just betray us again!"

"Maybe he will, but that's a chance I'm willing to take! No matter what he's done, everyone deserves a second chance!"

"Yes, but this would be his 30th chance!"

Yuma ignored Shark's comment. "Vector, I've seen the good in you; I saw it in Ray Shadows. We had awesome times together. You were my friend. Let's give this thing another go, pal; what do you say?"

Vector dropped his "poor me" facade. "I say that... you've gotta be the most trusting simpleton who's ever lived! You really want to hang out some more? Let's do it! Come with me to Endsville!"

I saw tears falling down Yuma's eyes. "Sure. If that's what it takes. I'll stick by your side because helping a friend is the Ray Way." A tear was brought forward by the vacuum, splashing off Vector's cheek.

Vector was so shell-shocked by Yuma's words, his jumbled thoughts of insanity finally went straight. He replayed what Yuma said in his mind, remembering when he was Ray. I realized that that was the only time he was able to be what he should've been in his past life, when his mother gave her life to save him from the sword of his warlord father. "You're really awesome, Yuma," Vector said finally. "Our worlds need more of you, and less of me."

"Hang on! What're you saying?!" Yuma demanded.

"I'm saying goodbye," he replied as he let go of Yuma's hand. I walled off my mind in hopes of not enduring another attack as Vector vanished into the red vacuum. The vacuum finally ceased as Yuma cried in anguish.

"Why did you let go?" he sobbed.

Don Thousand chuckled as his armor began to break apart. ** _My power has returned to me._**

Yuma looked up at the deity. "Enjoy it now, because you won't have it for long, and that's a promise!"

 ** _One you cannot keep,_** Don Thousand countered as his pulsing power sent Yuma flying back. ** _At last, I am complete again! And now, my true reign begins._** His body began to flash bright yellow, sending veins of Chaos energy everywhere. Huge purple flowers made of crystal appeared in the veins, with an especially large one in the center.

"Astral, we should really get out of here!" Tori suggested.

"What's that light?" Yuma wondered aloud.

 ** _It is a beacon of the new realm that I have shaped. I have fused your world and Barian world together, to forge a dominion unlike any before! Turn around Yuma Tsukumo, and bear witness to my creation._** We all looked behind us, seeing Heartland City just beyond the horizon, full of the crystal plants. The sight of it caused fireworks of fear and shock to go off in Yuma and Tori's minds. ** _I have shattered the feeble dimensional barriers between our two worlds and united them under one absolute rule: my own!_**

A yellow bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of us, causing a bright flash. _Now what?_ everyone asked themselves.

"Take a wild guess," I replied, knowing exactly who it was. "Took you long enough to get here!"

The glow faded, showing Mizar as the source of the lightning. "We meet again, Yuma."

"Why are you here?" Yuma asked. "This is the last place I expected to see you."

"Yuma, I came here to fulfill Kite's last wish," Mizar replied, taking out the card Kite gave him. "When the duel ended, he entrusted me with this. He gave me this card so that I would give it to you." He handed the card over to Yuma, who read the card as Numeron Dragon.

"Seriously? But why?" Yuma asked. "How will this help?"

"He thought you would need it," the blonde replied. "Unfortunately, you will never have the chance to play it."

"What do you mean?"

Mizar looked at Shark. "Look, Nash: Don Thousand distorted the memories of the seven Emperors. He tricked us so we would serve him. He wanted our aid in his mad quest to rule the universe. The future that he is trying to shape" - he teleported to a ledge closer to the largest crystal flower - "is one I cannot allow to come to pass."

"What are you doing, Mizar?" Shark demanded.

"Righting our wrongs," the blonde replied, "and stopping Don Thousand once and for all." _Stay down there, Star. Should I lose against this demon, you will have to join Yuma, Astral, and Nash, against_ him _._

 _ **Mizar,**_ Don Thousand addressed. _ **You wish to duel me, despite the loss of your Barian powers leaving you weak, whilst I have regained all my immeasurable might.**_ The gleaming flower bloomed, showing a different form of the deity with his hair and skin color switched. I had a strange sensation of Don Thousand's rippling power in the light he emerged from. ** _Have you lost your mind? Your agony and defeat is inevitable._**

"Whoa, Don Thousand looks stronger," Tori gasped.

"That is his true form," Astral glared.

 _No, I've seen him look different than that,_ I countered. _This must be some sort of energy form._

"I do not fear the likes of you!" Mizar challenged as he prepared his D-pad while in his human form.

 ** _So be it; I will grant you the destruction that you crave,_** the deity replied as he brought out his own D-pad, which looked eerily like an eye. He took first draw of the duel, but ended his turn on the spot. His mind was even more chaotic than Vector - leaving me almost incapable of reading his mind - but I could almost sense he was amused by Mizar's offended reaction.

Mizar drew a card and summoned lvl 4 Heliosphere Dragon, activating the spell Galaxy Wrath to summon another dragon in exchange for not battling for that turn. He chose to bring out lvl 4 Radius the Half-Moon Dragon, overlaying the two monsters to Xyz summon rank 4 Galaxy Stealth Dragon. He used its ability by using both of its OLUs to summon lvl 8 Schwarzschild Limit Dragon and Parsec the Interstellar Dragon.

"Amazing," Tori awed, "he's got three monsters already."

"But the bad news is he's not allowed to attack this turn," Yuma countered.

"Curious," Astral mused.

Shark hummed. "Mizar is smart. I'm sure he has a strategy plan."

"And as long as there are no setbacks, he might be able to pull it off," I added, knowing that his victory would come at a cost.

Mizar activated the spell Dragon King's Demise, tributing his three monsters so they both took damage equal to their combined atk: 5400.

"Say what?!" Yuma yelped. "That can't end well at all!"

"Correct," Astral agreed. "It would mean the end for both of them."

 _He's putting as much faith in my power as Dumon did before he was defeated,_ I realized. _He knows that his human soul will be safe in the Shadow Realm, whereas Don Thousand's soul will be torn apart._

"Mizar, don't do it!" Shark yelled.

"Your evil ends here, Don Thousand," Mizar smirked. "I am ready to do what it takes to send you to oblivion, even if I have to take you there myself! The damage heading your way now will put a stop to you deranged schemes." The damage was starting to head towards both duelists, but as I felt an electric pulse of Chaos energy, it stopped itself before it could hit.

"You stopped it?!" Mizar gasped. "How can that be?"

 ** _You are pathetic,_** the deity stated bluntly. ** _I suggest you take a closer look at your field._**

Mizar was stunned as he saw his field. "I... I don't understand. This is not the spell card I played. I activated Dragon King's Demise, not Card of the Dragon King."

 ** _And yet, there is no mistake that Card of the Dragon King lies before you. As with the card you thought you played, it too tributes every Dragon on your field._**

"Yes, but unlike the card I had intended to use, instead of both of us taking damage as I planned, now only I will. And that means I lose the duel."

Yuma gasped. "This can't really be happening!"

Don Thousand's whited-out eyes narrowed. **_We are done here, Mizar. You are finished. It is laughable to think that a paltry wretch like you believed he could stand against the great Don Thousand._** In the form of a serpent dragon, the damage blasted away all of Mizar's LP in one blow, tossing him down from the ledge where he stood. We all rushed to the fallen Dragon Tamer, who was shell-shocked by how quickly he lost. Tori and I were almost in tears at how weak and helpless he was.

"Are you okay?" Yuma asked. "Speak to me, Mizar, please!"

"My eagerness turned into foolish pride, Yuma," the blonde murmured. "I was so hungry to beat him that I became careless. That is when my victory plans came undone. It is up to you now; all of you. Work together; it is the only way." I locked myself off again as his body and mind disappeared before I could plunge into another attack. We watched as the bright yellow orb that was Mizar's Barian power fly away and into Don Thousand's emblem.

 ** _You stand as the last of the seven emperors, Nash,_** Don Thousand reminded. ** _You cannot escape your destiny. Your defeat will be a merciless one. After which I will take your power, as I have that of all the fallen emperors before you. Such as your beloved sister._** The deity began hovering in the air. ** _Soon you will join them. As will you, Yuma, and you, Astral, along with the Phantom. None of you will escape this world. I will consume you as I have consumed so many before you._** Don Thousand's golden form disintegrated, revealing the form I remember seeing him in. ** _So, which one of you has the nerve to be the next to fall by my hand?_**

Yuma growled, tears in his eyes. "You wanna duel? Let's do it!"

"No," Shark declined, "let me."

"Now's not the time to start arguing," I broke in. "Why not the three of us take him on at once?"

"That is a good idea," Astral complimented. "We cannot repeat Mizar's fatal mistake. Remember, he told us to stick together. None of us should duel Don Thousand alone. Shark, Yuma, Star, let us duel as one."

The two boys looked at each other in agreement. "Hear that?" Yuma called. "We're gonna team up!"

"And take you down together," Shark added.

"So that you may finally meet the end you so deserve," I intoned.

"With our combined strength, your reign of terror is over!" Astral exclaimed.

All three of us prepared our D-pads - thankfully for me, I could still duel. "Time to set the Shadows free!" I called out as my bracelet became the familiar gauntlet with the three-pointed star of my D-pad mounted onto it.

 ** _Astral, how I have longed for this moment. Soon, you will kneel before me in defeat and watch as your world crumbles._** Don Thousand took first draw just before ending his turn, just like last time.

"Tread carefully," Astral warned quietly. "Do not rush this. Remember how quickly Mizar was defeated. We must stay focused; expect the unexpected."

Yuma nodded in agreement as he drew his card. He summoned lvl 4 Toy Knight, using its effect to also summon Gagaga Magician, overlaying them to Xyz summon Utopia.

 ** _You seem confident,_** the deity noted. ** _Let us find out if your confidence holds once a new reality sets in._** Don Thousand's third eye flashed and sparks shot through the veins of Chaos, swapping Utopia out for a very confused Ganbara Knight.

 ** _Wha? How did I end up here?!_** Ganbara cried out in confusion.

 _It must be some sort of card Don Thousand has,_ I replied mentally.

Tori was just as frazzled. "Uh... What is Ganbara Knight doing here?"

"This is very strange," Astral mused.

"What trick are you pulling, Don Thousand?" Shark demanded.

 ** _I do not need tricks,_** the deity replied. _ **Simply this trap. I activated Numeron Xyz Revision. It allowed me to rewrite your card so that instead of summoning an Xyz Monster, you summoned a different monster entirely. You are no longer in control of your actions;**_ **I _am. I have mastery over the past, present, and future. So I rewrote your past._**

 _"Rewrote the past"? That must mean..._ "Don Thousand has acquired the power of the Numeron Code!" Astral gasped in realization. "Only it can rewrite history!"

"No way!" Yuma denied. "How could he have that?"

 ** _Astral is correct. Fusing our two worlds together allowed me to activate the field spell Numeron Network, giving me mastery over the Numeron Code. When I have no cards on my field, I can activate a Numeron card from my deck once per turn to rewrite this duel in my favor._**

"So that's how you took out Mizar so fast," I realized. "You used one of your Numeron traps to change his spell."

 _ **Exactly. Numeron Network allowed me to activate the trap Numeron Spell Revision, which I used to change Mizar's spell into one that worked in my favor instead. Mizar never stood a chance, since he was never in control of his own cards.**_

"So you rewrote history to sabotage Mizar's strategy," Shark growled.

"This is odd," Astral mused. "How could Don Thousand have the power of the Numeron Code. It is hidden on Earth, and only when all the Numbers are collected can it be found... Of course! Don Thousand did not need to find it! He gained its power when he merged Earth with Barian world!"

 _ **I wondered when the truth would dawn on you. It is true that I do not know where the Numeron Code rests, but I have no need to locate it when I own the entire planet. The Earth belongs to me, down to the smallest molecule; even the Numeron Code. With this new power, I can finally rip a portal between dimensions. I can now attack Astral World and annihilate your wretched home, Astral! For every point of damage you take, so will Astral world, raining devastation on your land far and wide! Extinction looms moments away for both Earth and Astral world; and you can do nothing to stop it! Your defeat is inevitable. It is my destiny to rule the galaxy.**_

"In my eyes, it definitely isn't!" I exclaimed. "And coming from one who sees the future, that's saying something!"

"Yeah," Yuma agreed, "my friends and I are taking you down, Don Thousand! Face it; we're never giving up!" He set a facedown to end his turn.

 _C'mon guys. I know you can do this,_ I heard Tori think.

 ** _Such spirit,_** Don Thousand mused. ** _But deep within you must know that your efforts to stop me are all in vain._**

 _Don Thousand's field spell Numeron Network gives him a significant advantage. If we do not find a way to prevent him from rewriting our actions, we will not win this duel._

Don Thousand drew his card and activated the spell Numeron Calling to summon four Numbers simultaneously; namely, the real first four Numbers. He brought out Number 4: Numeron Gate Catvari; Number 3: Numeron Gate Trini; Number 2: Numeron Gate Dve; and Number 1: Numeron Gate Ekam. The four Numbers combined to form the Numeron Gate. Each one was rank 1, with 1000 atk. Our only monster had no atk, and its abilities were negated.

"We can't go charging straight at those things," Shark growled.

"Our situation may look bleak, but we do have one advantage," Astral recalled. "Now that he has monsters, he can no longer use Numeron Network to rewrite our cards."

Don Thousand had Ekam attack Ganbara, but Yuma used Half Unbreak to save his monster and cut our damage down to 500, leaving us with 3500 LP. Unfortunately, the damage also started blasting at Astral world through the portal. Astral could only look on in horror as I sensed the pain and terror beginning to emit from his world. With another flash of his third eye, Don Thousand used Numeron Network to activate Ekam's ability and double the atk of all Numeron monsters to 2000 each.

"Yuma, we must take away his advantage by eliminating the Numeron Network," Astral decided.

"But how do we do that?" Yuma asked. "I'm all for it, but we don't know where the card is."

"And Don Thousand's mind is more fragmented than Vector's," I added. "I can't read him."

Astral recalled the times when Numeron Network activated. "When Don Thousand activates the field spell, a light runs through the Network that threads throughout this world. Perhaps the energy is flowing toward the source of the Network. I can attempt to follow the energy signature back to its origin, and discover the location of the Numeron Network card. This means you three will have to duel without my help." In a blue blaze, Astral flew down to the veins of the Network, following them away. "This is our only hope. Just survive long enough for me to locate the card."

 ** _So the coward abandoned you,_** Don Thousand smirked. ** _He knew as I do it is pointless to resist. Now, cower before the guardian of the Numeron Gate!_** He ordered Dve to attack Ganbara next, while Yuma used Half Unbreak again to leave us with 2500 LP as Dve's ability doubled the Numbers' atk to 4000.

"We have to buy Astral time to find the Numeron Network card," Shark reminded as we recovered from that last blow. "Whatever it takes, we've got to hold on."

Don Thousand ordered Trini to attack us, causing another use of Half Unbreak, leaving us with now only 500 LP as the Numbers' atk each became 8000.

"We won't be able to make it if we take another attack like that," I strained as we got up.

 ** _The time has come,_** Don Thousand stated. ** _Farewell. Your struggle is over, as are you._** He ordered Catvari to attack and end the duel, but Shark managed to swap out Ganbara for his Cutter Shark in Defense Mode with its ability, saving us despite being destroyed.

"Wow, thanks for having our back," Yuma thanked Shark.

 ** _Your persistence is starting to annoy me. You are only delaying your demise. Catvari's special ability doubles all my monsters' atk again. But I am not done. Numeron Network allows me to Rank-Up Ekam into a Chaos Monster!_** He Chaos evolved the Number into rank 2 Chaos Number 1: Numeron Chaos Gate Sunya. Its ability let it banish every monster currently on the field, but Sunya returns at the start of his next turn; when it does, we'll take damage equal to the combined atk of the monsters that were banished: 50000 points, as Sunya had 2000 atk.

Shark's eyes narrowed. "If he's able to get to his next turn, it's all over." Shark took his draw and summoned lvl 3 Boom Shark; it self-destructs in battle, but when it does, Don Thousand will take its atk as damage. He equipped it with Aqua Jet to raise its atk from 1000 to 2000. Unfortunately, Don Thousand used Numeron Network to activate Numeron Spell Revision to change Aqua Jet to Surface, forcing Shark to revive Cutter Shark in Defense Mode. Boom Shark self-destructed right when the other monster appeared.

"We're cooked," Yuma yelped. "As long as he has Numeron Network, he can keep swapping cards on us."

"Don't give up," Shark ordered. "We'll fight to our last LP." He activated the spell Rank-Up Rising to bring out a Rank-Up Magic card, since a monster was destroyed and sent to the Grave. He chose The Seventh One to activate it and Chaos evolve rank 4 Number 101: Silent Honor Ark, to rank 5 Chaos Number 101: Silent Honor Dark. "You couldn't swap cards on me this time, because Numeron Network's effect can only be used once per turn." Honor Dark used its Chaos OLU to summon Honor Ark from the Graveyard.

 ** _Interesting. Have you been planning this from the beginning?_**

"That's right. I've been planning your defeat even before your hair started glowing like a light bulb." (Looking back on that one, I figured that to be true.)

 ** _I never would've imagined that someone like you could actually beat me._**

"You don't have to imagine; you're going to live it!" Shark ordered Honor Ark and Honor Dark to attack the deity. The former's attack connected, leaving Don Thousand with 1900 LP.

 ** _You fools! I am not going anywhere! Since I took battle damage, I can summon Numeron Wall from my hand and instantly end the battle! As I said, I could never imagine someone like you defeating me._** I sensed a familiar surge of power suddenly affecting the Network. ** _Astral found the card._** He used his power to make a screen that showed Astral in front of the Numeron Network card, encased in a crimson energy sphere. ** _You are too late, Astral. My victory is assured._**

Astral looked up. _"Not if you lose access to the Numeron Code, Don Thousand._

 _**Amusing. Just how do you plan on doing that?**_

 _"Quite simple: I will remove this card and then destroy it."_

 _ **I see. But if you destroy that card, then all the immense energy that has accumulated at that location will be instantly unleashed, rippling outward in all directions. Though Astral world may survive, Earth definitely will not. What will you do? Will you sacrifice Earth to save Astral world? If you do not, then I shall annihilate your friends along with your precious home. The choice is yours.**_

 _Do I save Earth, or do I save Astral world,_ Astral contemplated. _I know what I must do. My decision is clear._ He entered into the sphere, grabbing the card. "I know what I must do. And I do this for the future!" He tossed the card up to expose its place on Don Thousand's field.

 _Astral brought that card out of hiding,_ Shark noted. _Now I know what_ I've _got to do._ Shark used Honor Dark's ability to turn Numeron Wall into a Chaos OLU. He then used the spell Depth Eruption to destroy every card on the field.

"Shark, without Numeron Network, Earth will be wiped out!" Yuma cried.

 _Yuma,_ _can you hear me? Do not worry. Earth will be fine. I will absorb all the energy._

"You what?!" Yuma exclaimed. "Astral, you can't do that! There's no way you could ever survive it!"

 _It is up to you now, Yuma. Do not lose. You must feel the flow, my friend._

I began to feel a strange surge of Astral energy. "Someone else is coming," I gasped. "And they're coming really fast!" A strange Astral being appeared in the sphere, forcing Astral out of the sphere.

 _"_ _...Eliphas?"_

 _"Astral,"_ the strange being smiled.

 _"What are you doing here?"_

 _"_ _Atoning for my past mistakes. You have given much hope to the people of Astral world. We cannot lose you now."_

"He's absorbing the power!" Yuma cried.

 _"Astral, my time has finally come. But your time is just beginning."_ Eliphas tossed a card at Astral and looked straight up at me as his final thought came through. I clung to that last train of thought, to fend off the following attack. _I know what your power will do to me, little Phantom, and I do not fear it. You've sacrificed so much over your lifetime; I can see it in you. I have no doubt that someday you will receive much-deserved gratitude for what you've so freely given._

 ** _Eliphas,_** Don Thousand growled. _ **How dare you interfere.**_

"Eliphas saved Earth," Yuma stared in awe.

Astral reappeared beside us. "He is no more. But he left us something to remember him by. He placed the future of Astral world in our hands." He looked up at Astral world, tears in his eyes. "And I have no intention of letting him down. Because I know this: we must win this duel at all costs. For our friends. For the future."

"You don't have to convince me," Shark spoke up. "Let's do this!" When Silent Honor Dark is destroyed while it has Chaos OLUs, it can return to the field; an effect Shark quickly took advantage of. We also regained LP equal to its atk, which was 2800, bringing our LP up to 3300. Finally, Shark set a facedown to end his turn.

"Your win's not a sure thing anymore, is it?" Yuma smirked at our opponent. "But we'll tell you what is."

"For both our sake, and that of the universe, you will be defeated," I finished. "That is a four. Race. Promise."


	19. We Never Thought

"Yuma, Star, and Nash," Astral addressed, "our victory is close at hand."

 ** _You think victory is any closer because you destroyed one obstacle and regained a few LP?_** Don Thousand inquired. _ **You shall learn how wrong you are. You cannot avoid your destiny to fall before my monsters!**_ The deity drew his card, bringing back Chaos Gate Sunya.

"Too little too late," Shark jeered. "We shut the Numeron Network down. Without it, Sunya can't survive on the field!" In response, the Chaos Number exploded.

 _ **You fools. You are dueling a deity. I have prepared for every possibility, including this.**_ Don Thousand activated the spell Numeron Chaos Ritual; since Sunya was destroyed, Numeron Network and the original first four Numbers are treated as lvl 12 monsters. He overlaid all five of them to Xyz summon rank 12 Chaos Number 1000: Numeronius.

"Now I know what my monsters mean by everyone sensing this guy," I muttered, sensing the pulsing Chaos energy radiating off the monster; _way_ more than what I've gotten used to. Makes me glad I still had my own ace-in-the-hole.

"This just keeps getting better," Yuma cringed.

"10000 atk," Shark read.

 _ **You will fall to the power that stands before you,**_ Don Thousand stated. _ **Tremble in fear as Numeronius proceeds to annihilate Silent Honor Dark.**_ Numeronius prepared to attack, but Shark used the trap Tidal Advantage to half Numetonius' atk and keep Honor Dark from being destroyed. _ **Another pointless gesture; you will still take damage,**_ the deity observed as we all got thrown back, LP now at 1100, _ **and more terror will rain down on Astral world. You may have survived that attack, but that was just a mere sample of Numeronius' power. You will now feel its full wrath. Its special ability destroys every monster on your field after battle. Furthermore, every monster that I sent to the Graveyard during this turn is summoned to my field in Defense Mode. Your monster is mine; you cannot win.**_

I quickly drew my card once Don Thousand ended his turn. I had drawn just the card I needed. "First off, I activate the spell Stop Defense. Using this handy spell, I can take Silent Honor Dark and switch it into Attack Mode. But your troubles are just barely stepping out of the shadows, Don Thousand. Next, I activate the spell Ghost Queen's Coronation; by banishing one spell, trap, and monster card in my hand, I can bring out a special friend of mine that's been literally _dying_ to come out onto the field. Feel the power of the Ghost Queen as I Ritual Summon Yurei Kuin!" The three cards I chose rushed down into the green vortex, while Yurei soared out of it afterwards, glaring at Numeronius.

 _ **A useless Ritual Monster,**_ Don Thousand scoffed. _ **How could a creature like that possibly do any harm to me?**_

"Well, she might not look as terrifying as your Numeronius," I admitted, "but she can hurt anyone's pride with her special ability. Once per turn, Yurei can place a Wisp Token on one of your monsters and disable it; I choose your Numeronius." Yurei flew right through the fearsome monster's chest, leaving a thin spiral of misty tendrils circling it. "And now, Yurei, show this demonic deity your long-unseen power. This may not destroy Honor Dark, but it'll show you we're not going down without a fight; and since it doesn't target Numeronius, Yurei won't be destroyed. Consider this payback for blasting me with lightning back in Heartland. **Apparition Anathema**!" Yurei cupped her hands, causing a tiny blue flame to appear in them; the exact same blaze exploded out of Silent Honor Dark, dealing Don Thousand 200 damage, dropping his LP to 1700 as I ended my turn, which also gave Honor Dark a Wisp Token.

Shark hummed, "Never thought you'd have the power to inflict damage on Don Thousand, Star."

"Yeah, you got Don Thousand on a leash!" Yuma applauded.

"Just be glad that fate is on our side in this duel," I replied modestly.

 _ **Phantom wench,**_ Don Thousand growled as he drew his card. _ **You and your race should have never set foot into this battle. You'd be much less of a nuisance if you avoided it at any cost.**_ ** _Seeing as you've left me only able to use special abilities, I end my turn._**

Yuma grinned when it was his turn. "It's time to high-five the sky..."

"And feel the flow!" Astral finished as they both became familiar streaks of red and blue light. **_When two distant souls become one, the power of Zexal is revealed; go_ Zexal Morph _!_** The first Zexal Morph I remember emerged from the light when the two souls collided.

 _ **Your theatrics do not impress me,**_ Don Thousand said in a blunt tone.

"Then this totally will!" Yuma exclaimed. "Don Thousand, a truly powerful duelist can shape the outcome of a duel. He can even generate the very card that he needs to draw!" He used his Shining Draw and activated the spell Re-Xyz, using Gagaga Magician and Toy Knight in his Graveyard to Xyz summon Utopia.

 _ **Your maneuver is pointless. Numeronius uses one Chaos OLU to destroy your monster. Then I can summon one new Chaos Number to your field. Appear, Utopia Ray Victory!**_

"Um, why destroy Utopia and replace it with its much-stronger Chaos form?" I asked.

 _ **Because, as long as I have Numeronius, your Chaos Numbers are worthless. They cannot use their special abilities, nor can they attack.**_

"So what?!" Yuma demanded, the Zexal Morph starting to blaze. "We've faced much worse than this! I told you that we'll use our power to defeat you!"

 _ **When two hearts join together in the spirit of hope, nothing is impossible,**_ Astral chanted. _ **Go**_ **Zexal Morph _!_**

The glow faded to reveal the second Zexal morph from Sargasso. "I'm stronger than ever," Yuma stated as he activated the spell Xyz Treasure, letting him use Shining Draw to gain three cards. He summoned lvl 3 Ouroboros Sage, whose ability let him revive Silent Honor Ark. Its other ability also allowed Ouroboros to equip itself and Victory onto Honor Ark, combining their atk to 5500; that was doubled by its final effect to 11000. Yuma had Honor Ark attack Numeronius, dropping its atk to 700. "Bam! Getting it done!" Yuma grinned in triumph. "No more Numeronius to worry about."

I got a glimpse of black wings. "I'd have second thoughts on that, Yuma. Looks like Silent Honor Dark got kicked to the curb instead."

 _ **I have told you that your attempts to defeat me are futile, have I not?**_ Don Thousand smirked. _ **By sending Silent Honor Dark to the Graveyard, I was able to stop Numeronius from being destroyed. I didn't have to do so with the Phantom's attack, as her Yurei Kuin wasn't going after Numeronius.**_

Yuma clenched his fist. "You've gotta be kidding me."

 _ **Afraid not. And just as before, Numeronius annihilates every monster on your field! And they return as your adversaries because they are all summoned to my field. There is nothing you can do that I cannot undo.**_

Yuma groaned in frustration as he and Astral split apart. "Even Zexal didn't work. How do we defeat this guy?"

 _ **I told you, Yuma, there is no way to oppose my limitless powers. Even Astral cannot deny this unavoidable fact. When we fought eons ago, you thought you won, but that is far from the truth.**_

"What are you talking about?" Astral demanded.

 _ **That battle was merely a precursor in my long-term strategy. It appeared as if you destroyed me, but you were actually more hurt than I was. Your powers and memories were shattered into pieces, scattered throughout, lost along with the Numeron Code. My powers were also locked away by the Mythyrian Numbers, but I remained patient, making sure they fell into the right hands.**_

"And you tricked them into helping you," Yuma finished.

 _ **Correct. And the longer they wielded my power, the stronger I grew. So while Astral remained weak, I was mightier than ever!**_ I saw numerous memories of Don Thousand replacing the emperors' Mythyrians with his Over-Hundreds. _ **You humans are so easy to manipulate. Their resistance to my control was pathetic. Nash, even your dearest friend Dumon succumbed to the end. And your sister never stood a chance. And you, Nash; you were most instrumental in resurrecting my power, though you never realized it. The Phantom ought to have never interfered anyway; I would have returned to my full strength much faster otherwise.**_

"Hey! That's a lower kick than when you possessed Girag!" I retorted in offense.

"That's enough, Don Thousand!" Yuma sneered. "Nobody wants to hear you babble. All your trying to do is throw us off and make us doubt ourselves. Guess what, it's not gonna work! Humans may have had a hand in bringing you back, but this human's sending you away!" Yuma set four facedowns to end his turn.

Don Thousand took his draw and activated the spell Numeron Storm, allowing him to destroy all spells and traps on the field besides his Numeronius. _ **You have lost everything, but you will still lose more. Numeron Storm deals you 1000 points of damage!**_ The bolt of lightning from the card tossed us all backwards, leaving us with only 100 LP. _ **You have no monsters, no facedown cards, nor cards in your hands. Your pathetic efforts end here!**_ He ordered Numeronius to attack, bidding us farewell.

Yuma was in hopeless tears. "I tried my best."

 _"Well, try harder,"_ a familiar voice echoed. The jewel of my gauntlet suddenly flashed, causing a huge light to explode between us and Don Thousand. _"Giving up is not your style."_

 _ **Can it be?**_ Don Thousand wondered. _ **Impossible.**_

A ghostly form of Kite appeared in the light, looking back at us. _"You're not seriously going to let some big deity push you around, are you? I left you something, Yuma, remember? Use it. And Star, you also have that little something with you."_

I remembered the fact that Yuma had Numeron, and I had Hakumei. We both brought out the frighteningly huge monsters in Defense Mode - with me removing a Chaos OLU from Numeronius in the process. "Here's Number 100: Numeron Dragon!" Yuma yelled.

"Along with his mate," I added, the Eye of the Night briefly flashing before my eyes. " Arise, Hakumei: Numeron Shadow!" The two dragons seemed to be connected at their tails as they emerged. They hovered side-by-side, with their heads almost touching.

 _ **So you managed to awaken the great Numeron Dragon and his mate,**_ Don Thousand mused, slightly in shock. _ **No matter. Numeronius, attack Numeron Dragon!**_ Yuma activated Numeron's ability to zero out Numeronius' atk. _ **A hollow gesture. My Numeronius still destroys your dragons after the battle.**_

 __The pulsing energy destroyed the dragons, but Yuma and I activated their ability of destroying monsters on the field, engulfing the opposing monsters in respective orange and dark blue flames. Each of us banished a spell from our Graveyards as payment for Hakumei's ability, but evening the odds was well worth it. Finally, Yuma even got back all the facedowns he set thanks to Numeron.

 _ **Yuma, you still fail to understand. All you have done is push yourself closer to the ultimate end. You believed destroying Numeronius would hinder me, but it is just the opposite. When it is in my Graveyard, I can use it to Xyz Summon an even more powerful monster! Arise from the great beyond, Chaos Imaginary Number 1000: Numeronius Numeronia!"**_ An enormous, deep violet monster rose from the Overlay Network, rank 13 and with 100000 atk.

"That monster has 100000 atk!" Astral gasped.

"How is that even possible?" Shark asked.

"I'm not sure I want to know," I answered, wincing at its almost overwhelming Chaos energy.

 _ **Though Numeronia cannot attack, your monsters must battle it as long as it remains on the field. Should you choose not to attack it, then at the end of your turn, you instantly lose.**_

"So we have to attack that thing or that's it?" Shark wondered aloud. "It's all over?"

Don Thousand chuckled. _ **Only now do you realize that you have no hope. That you never had hope. You are nothing.**_

 _ **He is wrong,**_ Lady of Faith's voice rang in my head. _ **If he were to be in the right, you and your race would've been gone a long time ago, Star. You maintained hope of living to your name to this day. You are living proof of the falsehood of his words.**_

 _I know,_ I replied mentally. _We can't let him revile us like this. We_ must _defeat him; there is no other choice._

"That's where you're wrong," Yuma mumbled at the deity. "My friends and I are more than you'll ever be! And we'll never lose hope! So for them, - for everyone I've ever known - I'll fight to the very end."

"We couldn't agree more," I smiled, seeing the others' thoughts.

"Yeah, we're right there with you, Yuma," Shark added.

"I am with you as well," Astral grinned. "Until the end."

Yuma and Astral began to form Zexal one more time; now into the form that won against Heartland. _ **When two kindred spirits unite, their future has no limits!**_ **Ultimate Zexal Morph _!_**

I began to feel myself growing stronger under the morph's power, with all the shadows around me giving their strength. My usual phantomized form became a translucent version of my usual appearance with my Phantom aura blazing as I heard, _ **Shadow Soul.**_

 _ **I have never felt this much power before,**_ Don Thousand mused. Yuma activated the trap Session Draw to draw two cards on his next turn; if they're both monster cards with the same level, they can be used to Xyz summon. _ **So, a final desperate scramble. I end my turn.**_

"This is the moment of truth, Yuma," Shark murmured.

Yuma nodded. "Yup, let's do this together." Yuma chose Shark to help him do the honor, and they both did a Chaos Draw (Shark) and Destiny Shining Draw (Yuma). Yuma had lvl 5 ZW Tornado Bringer while Shark drew lvl 5 Panther Shark. The two were overlaid to Xyz summon Abyss Splash. Yuma then activated the trap Utopia Rising to resurrect and equip to Utopia as an OLU. Shark used the trap Bonds of Hope to bring back Numeron Dragon, giving Abyss' OLUs over to Utopia. No one else could see it, but I could faintly see Hakumei standing right behind Numeron in spirit form. I smiled slightly; even in the Graveyard, Hakumei refused to leave her mate without a shadow. Utopia Rising's additional effect gave Numeron and Abyss' abilities to the Light-attribute Warrior.

"See, Don Thousand?" Yuma inquired. "We'll fight together, as a team. We're gonna put you down once and for all." Yuma used one of Utopia's OLUs to activate Numeron's - and by extension, Hakumei's - ability, giving Utopia 1000 atk for every Xyz rank on the field, which was 23. Kite's spirit was with me and Yuma as we called it out, and Utopia's atk rose from 2500 to 25500. Utopia used the other OLUs to quadruple that amount due to Abyss' effect, to 102000. Utopia was ordered to attack, but Don Thousand used Numeronia's Chaos OLU to stop the attack and gain LP equal to Utopia's atk, raising it to 102700.

 _ **There is no way for you to overcome the power of a deity,**_ Don Thousand glowered.

"Oh yes there is," Yuma countered. Yuma activated Double or Nothing, raising Utopia's atk to 204000. Every form of the monster encircled the original as spirits as Yuma and Astral commanded him to attack with Rising Sun Hyper Force Slash. The very air trembled as the gargantuan monster was destroyed. Don Thousand only watched in horror as he was thrown to the ground, LP now at zero. I turned back to my usual phantomized form as Yuma turned to look at Kite, thanking him. Kite only smiled at us as his spirit vanished. The portal to Astral world closed, and Heartland City drifted apart from Barian world.

 _ **How absurd,**_ Don Thousand groaned weakly. _ **I cannot believe I lost.**_

"You should," I snapped. "And now, it's time I fulfilled the oath I took when you struck me."

Don Thousand began laughing as he turned into a dark red orb brimming with Chaos energy. _ **You may have defeated me, but the destruction of your worlds is still in the cards. You will face an unending nightmare. You have merely vanquished my body, not my spirit. While my dark energy lives on, I assure you that you will not!**_

I flew up to the orb, levitating it between my hands with my power. "We'll see about that," I hissed. " **Ultimate Umbra**!" Shadow power began coursing through my entire body, and every scar began to blaze in violet light. I curled around the orb as my power began to rapidly accumulate, and my body went rigid with the effort of holding it. Once I felt I had gathered enough power, I let it all out on the dark orb, causing a huge explosion. For a split second, my vision went completely white as I heard Don Thousand's shout of protest.

Then everything went black.

* * *

(Quinton) It's astonishing how watching through a person's eyes can change one's perspective.

As I stared at the screen that showed the war through the eyes of my soulmate, I saw many things that I didn't expect to see in the Barian emperors; especially in their memories that were hidden, courtesy of Don Thousand. Mizar as a mere child who not only respected Trey and myself, but lost his parents not unlike how Star lost her own. Dumon as a kind soul that cared enough for his fellow emperors to sacrifice himself for them. Alito as a benevolent warrior, and a young boy who acted just like Nistro. Girag once as a beloved commander with his raccoon friend to being an older brother to Alito. And, most of all, just how much Nash cared for his fellow emperors and his world, wanting to protect them from Astral world's plan of destroying them regardless of not knowing their existence.

Don Thousand, however, was a demon among his own kind. He had no qualms about tearing young ones from their peaceful, happy lives and cutting all of them short and fabricating their memories. I could practically see the anger that burned towards the deity for all that he did. I couldn't believe how accurate Star was when she explained everything back home; the Barians truly were like normal people, claimed by the wrong god.

After the explosion of Star's Ultimate Umbra, I turned to look at the duel monster that had since taken Yin's place ever since she went to watch over her duelist. The new one was Dark Necrofear - or Necra, as she preferred to be called. She seemed to be a fairly kind spirit, despite not having the best of luck with any previous duelists. To my relief, Necra didn't carry nor enjoy carrying the half-destroyed china doll she supposedly had on her card.

 ** _She's saved a lot of people during this war,_** she mused. _ **Good thing the Shadow Realm is far bigger than what some people choose to believe. If they believe in or know about the Realm at all.**_

 _Is that why I don't see anyone else around here?_ I inquired. _They're all somewhere else in the Shadow Realm?_

 _ **Indeed. They're all safe in the care of their monsters. Even the Barians are here somewhere, under the watch of their respective Mythyrians. And I bet Photon is keeping a fang-sharp eye on his own duelist.**_

I smiled at the Fiend's way of brightening the mood. Necra sounded quite confident that Kite was safe in the talons of his Galaxy-Eyes. I assumed that she had picked up that kind-hearted, confident tone from her duelist. _I'm glad that you think that way, Necra. But when do you think we'll be able to return home?_

 _**I'm sure that there is only one more battle that is left to be won before the Barian Pipe finally shatters. But until then, we can only wait, and watch when Star finally wakes.**_

I nodded in agreement and turned to where the screen was, waiting for Star to wake, and pick up where she left off.


	20. It Would Stop

(Lotus) A strong rumble shook the entire tower as an image of a blue world started coming closer into view. Shadow was writhing about in Iris' arms, clearly knowing by instinct that it meant danger. Iris' eyes were full of fear, and she looked like she somewhat recognized this world, but didn't know its name. Hart's arm was around her shoulders as I stood behind them. Beside us on the balcony was Hart's father, Dr. Faker, along with a female Litterbot from Yuma's family named Lillybot.

"I can't believe it," Caswell sobbed below the balcony. "In the end, this just might really _be_ the end."

"Calm down, everyone," Hart called down to the frightened people below. "Don't lose hope. It's all we have left! I know it looks like we don't stand a chance, but that's not true! My friends are doing everything they can to save our future, so that we don't become a thing of the past!"

"Lillybot trusts in Yuma," the Litterbot added.

"They're right," Cathy agreed along with Caswell. "Yuma will prevent a cat-astrophe."

"All we can do is wait, and hope that this will pass without any harm done to us," Iris murmured. "Or any of our friends out there."

I silently agreed. Whatever was happening out there was far beyond our control. I watched the blue city on the large monitor, getting the strangest feeling that Star was somewhere not far from that strange city.

* * *

(Star) _"Star,"_ I heard a familiar voice call my name. _"Kazuma Tsukumo. My friends, can you hear me?"_

I opened my eyes, finding myself in a bright purple cloud flecked with red and blue particles. I could sense two familiar minds in two different directions. "Vetrix? Kazuma?"

 _"Byron Arclight, is that you?"_ the latter's voice asked. _"Who's the new girl?"_

"My name is Star Choseki," I introduced. "If you don't remember, I was the ghost you saw when you were traveling to the portal five years ago. I tried to save you from Faker's betrayal before you were sent away."

 _"Really?"_ Kazuma mused. _"Well then, how you two been? You and both our kids certainly had your share of ups and downs. More downs than ups."_

"You're telling me," I remarked grimly.

 _"True,"_ Vetrix agreed, _"but when we were saved, that final up erased all the downs. Quite impressive children - Yuma and Star. Listen Kazuma, Star; as much as I would_ love _to stroll down memory lane, Yuma is in trouble."_

 _"Yes, I know,"_ Kazuma stated. _"You did well in destroying Don Thousand's soul, Star, but his power was absorbed by Nash."_

"That's happened with the other emperors," I commented. "Absorbing the loser's energy."

 _"The three worlds will be destroyed unless we do something about it,"_ Vetrix added. _"I hope whatever power we have left is enough."_

"It'd better be," I replied. "This is our only chance. Let's hope you two mortals have what it takes to keep up with the Shadow Realm." I shot towards where Vetrix and Kazuma were about to collide.

 _"_ _Yuma!"_ I heard Kazuma shout. _"Help is on the way! Let's show these pups what two old dogs and a ghost can do."_

 _"Old?"_ Vetrix echoed. _"Who are you calling old? Speak for yourself!"_

"And for the umpteenth time, I'm not a ghost!" I defended.

Nevertheless, our beams of red, blue, and violet energy circled each other in a trinity before we all shot outwards. Vetrix went towards a Chaos-laden Earth, causing a flash that looked like his Crest. Kazuma went toward Astral world, creating a flash looking like Yuma's key. I went up to the circling clouds above the duel between Yuma and Shark, causing a blaze like the Eye of the Night. I was fighting against the three worlds' suns to keep them from colliding and going supernova.

 _"We'll hold back these worlds as long as we can!"_ Vetrix strained.

 _"Keep on dueling Yuma,"_ Kazuma encouraged. _"The future is in your hands."_

"We're counting on you," I added.

What was it like holding back three enormous stars? To start, to say that it was hard would be beyond an understatement. It took every bit of energy I had left after my **Ultimate Umbra** to keep them safely apart. I could feel the monsters of my deck coming out to help me. Almost none of them were able stay out for very long before needing to leave out of exhaustion. It was soon only me, Yin, and Hakumei. We all fought the weight of the suns, despite how much power it took to keep them apart.

 _ **No matter what it takes, I can't let mine and my husband's creation destroy itself,**_ Hakumei strained.

 _ **We won't let that happen, Mother,**_ Yin replied. _ **We will make sure these worlds, and this galaxy, survives. It shouldn't be much longer now. I can sense it; the battle below us is soon to conclude, and a winner soon to emerge victorious.**_

 _But that also means a friend is soon to fall,_ I countered. _Which one will it be?_

 _ **I am uncertain about which one, but whoever does not win will be sent to the safety of the Shadow Realm without fail. The duel is in range of the Shadow Ring, so the loser will be saved.**_

All of a sudden, after what felt like an eternity, the three suns slowly became easier to hold apart. They started drifting apart from each other without effort. "The duel must be over now," I mused.

 _ **Must be,**_ Yin agreed. ** _Thank the Gods._**

Hakumei sighed in relief. _**Finally, my mate and I can live peacefully in the Shadows.**_

I smiled at the enormous dragoness before she and her daughter left, and I went to join Kazuma and Vetrix down below.

"It looks like Yuma saved the day," the blonde observed.

"Yes," Kazuma agreed. "The three worlds are drifting apart. We owe it all to Yuma. Not saying you two didn't lend a helping hand. Thanks, Byron. And thanks, Star."

"Oh, sure," Vetrix teased, "good of you to remember. It's not like pushing a planet was hard work." He slowly began to disappear as he was absorbed into the Shadow Realm, exhausted of all power.

"Or holding three suns apart was such a strain," I added, secretly preparing for Vetrix's soon-to-vanish mind.

"Until next time, Kazuma and Star," Vetrix bid us goodbye.

"Until next time," Kazuma agreed. "And I hope it won't be too long."

"I'm sure it won't be," I assured. "For the time being, he'll be in the Shadow Realm to recover. After keeping three power-laden worlds and their suns from destroying each other, I think we've earned a little down-time." I began to feel my body dissolve into Shadow mist, but I wasn't scared for some reason. I felt... like I knew where I was going to end up. "Goodbye for now... Mr. Tsukumo," I whispered as my vision dissolved into darkness.

* * *

(Quinton) My eyes began to open. I was lying on the concrete surface of the Heartland Wall. Trey was beside me, starting to get up; I started doing the same. Once we were both standing, I looked over the city, sensing everyone returning right where they fell. I turned up to the sky, seeing the beautiful cloud of dispersing golden particles and violet Shadow mist. "I had faith that Star and Yuma would get the job done," I smiled.

"Yeah, same here," my brother agreed. "But it must've been tough on them."

I looked around where we stood, seeing Star lying unconscious on the ground. Though everyone else was glowing a faint gold, Star was covered in shadows. I calmly walked over and sat at her side, gently wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into my lap. My hand cradled the back of her neck as my other arm was around her waist. A peaceful expression graced her ivory features as I saw her face, along with a very subtle flush.

I looked over at Trey. "Michael. Why don't you go find our brother? I'll wait until Star wakes up; you two can go to Heartland Tower and tell everyone there it's safe."

Trey smiled and nodded before opening a portal. "Sure thing... Chris."

I couldn't help smiling to myself as Trey left; that's the first time he's said my real name in a long time.

I touched Star's forehead, just at the top of the scar on her face. I frowned, detecting the heat emanating from the red streak. _Mostly she's cold, but this time she's rather warm. She must've come down with a fever._

 _**I figured that would happen,**_ I heard Yin as her spirit appeared in front of me. _ **She's allowed herself exposure to one too many Light-attribute monsters. Not to mention she's been phantomized for quite a while. She'll need rest for at least a day until she can move again, let alone use her power.**_

"I doubt she'll like hearing that she's sick," I replied before Yin vanished. Afterward, I felt a small sensation that Star was beginning to wake up.

* * *

(Star) Everything was so dark. I was so, so tired. I could feel the warmth of someone holding me; someone I recognized once I could finally make out their thoughts: _She's awake; I can sense it._

I grunted softly with the effort of opening my eyes. A careful hand brushed my bangs out of the way, letting me see him through my blurred vision. "...Chris."

"I'm here, Star," he whispered, smiling softly at me as my sight began to clear.

I tried to move around at least a little, but I was too weak to do so.

Quinton frowned sadly at seeing me unable to get up. "Don't move," he ordered in a worried tone. "You're sick, and you've clearly been through far more than you likely should have been." He carefully picked me up in his arms, letting my head rest on his shoulder.

"You remember where my house is," I murmured, seeing his memories.

"Yes. I remembered when I discovered that our families were once friends." He used his Crest bracelet to open a portal that we both went through. On the other side of said portal, we were right at the front door to my house.

 _ **I'll have one of the Arcanas open the door,**_ Necra volunteered, phasing through the front door. Not long after, I saw Arcana Force I: the Magician, opening the door.

 _ **Really, Necrofear, do you honestly think I would - Christopher?**_ he cut himself off once he saw me in Quinton's arms.

"You're one of the Arcana Forces," he noted. "I believe I remember you from when Star and I were much younger. She has quite a case of war exhaustion, so I decided to bring her home. She also seems to have taken ill due to overexposure to Light-attribute monsters."

 _ **I understand,**_ Magician bowed and stepped aside. _ **I will lead you to her room. The house is rather large. Though unfortunately the cat got out again, my Lady.**_

I sighed into Quinton's chest, trying to hide a faint blush. "Hopefully Shadow's at least somewhere safe."

Quinton only nodded as he followed the duel spirit into the house and up the stairs. I had no doubt he could hear the voices of the shocked Arcana Forces and Mirror Spirits as they saw him carrying me. Despite still being in somewhat of a daze, I knew that they recognized him the moment he walked in. Before long, I was taking off my coat and boots before being tucked into my own bed, with Quinton sitting on the bed next to me.

"Try to get some rest, Star," my soulmate advised, gently stroking my forehead with a damp washcloth. "You'll need your strength if you're planning to revive everyone else in the Shadow Realm."

"You know about that?" I asked softly, my mind-reading starting to fade in and out as I began to feel drowsy.

"Of course. I saw the entire war through your eyes after I was sent there," he explained in a quiet voice. "I'm glad that I was able to see what you knew about the Barians. It showed me just how right you were about all of them, especially the emperors. But, out of curiosity, did you hear me before... what happened?"

I nodded slowly and closed my eyes, recalling what he was talking about. "Yes. And I feel the same way about you."

He smiled warmly and gently stroked my cheek as his other hand clasped mine. That was when I realized the emotion I saw in his eyes, as I drifted off: we loved each other.

* * *

(Quinton) I was glad to hear that Star returned my feelings before she fell asleep. I kissed the back of her hand not long after she closed her eyes. She was beautiful as she slept, breathing softly.

All of a sudden, my bracelet started flashing and sounding off. Knowing it was likely to be one of my brothers, I answered, seeing that it was Trey. In the background, Quattro was trying to hold off Yuma's friend, Cathy, along with what appeared to be Star's cat, who had evidently scratched at his coat a few times. Hart was with a young girl that looked like a younger, green-haired version of Rio, and a black-haired girl who was with Caswell.

 _"This oughta teach you to pull a cat's tail!"_ the feline girl hissed, clawing at my brother.

 _"Hey there, Quinton,"_ Trey greeted. _"I think we managed to find the little one Star was talking about. Iris was with Star's friend, Lotus; apparently, Star's cat had walked into Heartland Tower during all the excitement. Everyone else who was in Heartland Tower left once we gave the word. As you can see, Quattro probably shouldn't have pulled Shadow's tail; Cathy got a little mad when he did it."_

"I figured that was what happened," I mused.

 _"Should someone go and stop those two?"_ Iris asked.

 _"It is as they say: don't make the cat angry,"_ the girl next to Caswell stated, her hands on the little one's shoulders.

 _"Stop this fighting,"_ a Litterbot ordered as its arms pulled Quattro and Cathy apart and off their feet, with Iris picking up the black feline. _"We should find Yuma."_

 _ **Yuma and Tori are with Flip at the pier,**_ Yin informed. _ **We've all seen everyone else heading there once they reoriented themselves. Send Caswell, Cathy, Lillybot, and Hart there.**_

I nodded at the dragoness. "Quattro, Trey, have Lotus and Iris bring Shadow to where we are. The rest of you should go to the pier; I'm being told that's where Yuma and his other friends are."

 _"That's such great news that Yuma and Tori are alright!"_ Cathy grinned, stopping her struggling.

 _"Great!"_ Hart cheered. _"Come on, guys! Let's go see Yuma!"_

 _"We'll be there as soon as we can,"_ Trey nodded before looking back. _"You can put them down now, Lillybot."_ The robot complied, setting Cathy and Quattro down on the floor before the designated group left.

 _"We'll follow your signal to get a fix on your location,"_ Quattro stated after dusting himself off. After Shadow hissed at him for getting too close to Iris, he added in a nervous tone, _"And I should probably stay a safe distance from Star's cat."_

I smiled in amusement as my brothers signed off. I recalled Star and Quattro being like oil and water. One always came out on top of the other - usually being my soulmate - and the two would never mix. I suppose Quattro and Star's own pet have a similar situation as of now.

 _ **I'll watch over her,**_ Yin volunteered. _ **You can wait at the door until they come.**_

"Thank you for that, Yin," I thanked her. "If she wakes up, make sure she doesn't get up or move around too much. It likely won't help her fever."

The duel spirit nodded and coiled her long body next to the bed. Folding the washcloth and laying it on Star's forehead, I left the bedroom.

 _ **It's astonishing how easily we were able to recognize you,**_ Magician mused as I followed him to the door. _ **You've changed so much after these fifteen years, Christopher. And yet, in some ways you haven't changed at all.**_ I stopped at a familiar-looking spare room, which - despite having an unbroken window - had traces of broken glass all over the carpet floor. A slit in the floor clearly indicated that a blade of some sort pierced it at some point.

The memory of Scritch nearly assassinating Star and me came rushing back.

 _ **Ah, yes. I knew we forgot to clean one of the rooms in this house,**_ Magician mused in an uneasy tone. _ **Master Tomo easily had the broken window replaced years ago before he, Madam Marina, and the Young Lady fled Heartland City and the man of the name. I'm guessing you also remember what transpired in that very room.**_

"A near-death experience for Star and myself, when we were very young," I muttered.

 _ **Indeed. You were both lucky to have had Koumori and Pathfinder to save you. I didn't realize you two went into the wrong room until I heard the intruder get shot out of the window. We can continue this discussion another time. You'll need to be at the door for when those other visitors arrive. It wouldn't be the best first impression to confuse or unnerve your brothers; Moon can take a cue from that.**_

I continued to look at the surroundings that were so familiar to me. I had flashes of memories of me walking through these halls with my father and brother; along with Star and her parents. The older pictures decorating the hallway fascinated me, as they proudly displayed the Arcana Forces and Mirror Spirits with who looked like their original duelists: a brother and a sister. There was also a photo of the same children all grown up, with a boy who looked much like myself, what with his blue eyes and pale gray hair.

Come to think of it, that particular boy seemed quite close to the siblings. The older brother had Star's face and her mother's eyes; the sister looked much like that girl named Lotus. It seemed as if that little group of three was resurrected in the three of us, though I rather doubt it.

Anyways, not long after I followed the Magician to the front door, someone was knocking. "Hey Quinton, Star. You two in there?"

"Star is feeling under the weather at the moment, Quattro," I replied after opening the door. "She must've taken ill after overexerting herself."

"She's sick?" a young voice asked as Iris went around Trey, still holding Shadow. "Poor Star. She's a really nice person, from what I know."

I patted the girl's head with a slight smile. "That she is, little one," I agreed. "Though she and my brother aren't exactly the friendliest when together. She never liked it when he got too close, either."

Iris laughed. "That means Star and Shadow really are a lot alike."

"Unfortunately," Quattro groaned.

Lotus peered over my shoulder, where Magician was standing; I could sense she saw him. "Who's that behind you?"

Quattro and Trey stared blankly at where Lotus was looking; they couldn't see him. "Who are you talking about, Lotus?" Trey asked. "There's no one there."

Iris also followed the older girl's gaze. "I can see him!" she exclaimed. "But what's with his weird clothes?"

"Perhaps it would be best if you came inside and waited in the living room," I stated, gently taking Shadow from Iris' little arms. The feline almost immediately leapt up to ride on my shoulder instead. I recalled Shadow in a similar position with Star, and I allowed her to remain there.

Iris giggled. "She likes you. I wanted to have her on my shoulder, but Hart and I aren't big enough yet to have anything bigger than a kitten do that. I was only able to carry her."

Lotus chuckled as the other three came inside, Iris following the Magician and leading my brothers to the living room. "Unlike what I have heard of Rio having ailurophopia, Iris adores cats. She held onto Shadow while we were all in the tower without a problem. She even asked Cathy if she could visit her house sometime to meet her infamous feline troupe after all is said and done."

"Star told Trey and me of Iris being quite different compared to Rio despite the physical resemblance," I informed. "You and Iris saw Arcana Force I: the Magician. I can comprehend how Iris could see him due to her... exposure to the Barian energy, but you'd have to be a spirit-seeing Phantom or the soulmate of one in order to see him."

"I come from a line of people who can see and communicate with spirits. It's really not that surprising to me; I was told it came from my great-grandmother. I might be of Phantom descent, since that would explain it."

"If you are, your family must've either been unaware of it, or didn't tell anyone about it," I presumed. "I'm sure Star is grateful for you watching Iris for her. I have to go back to check on her."

"Tell her it was a pleasure to help," Lotus bowed politely. "I'd best be getting home; it's only a block or two into the city."

"I understand. Until we meet again," I replied. Lotus nodded and turned down the path that led into and out of the forest surrounding the mansion. With that, I closed the door and retreated back to Star's room.

Star's condition hadn't changed as I entered the room; neither had Yin's position. The violet dragoness was still coiled up right where I last saw her. I sat down on the side of the bed again, allowing Shadow to jump off my shoulder and lie next to the pillow on the other side. I stroked the feline's head as she decided to take a nap. After dipping the washcloth into a bowl of water on the side-table, I went back to gently wiping Star's forehead.

 _ **You should get some rest soon, Christopher,**_ Yin chided. _ **The moon is beginning to rise.**_

I looked up at the window, seeing the sun set just beyond the city, the moon not far away. _Had that much time past since bringing her home?_

Arcana Force VI: the Lovers, peeked into the room. _ **There are some guest rooms prepared for the little one, along with you and your brothers,**_ she informed briefly before leaving.

 _ **Lovers only does that when she knows that whoever she's talking to is with who they love,**_ Yin notified. _ **T**_ _ **hat is what I heard from Emperor and Empress, anyways. She more or less does it out of respect to privacy.**_

"So... does this invisible friend of yours know which room we'll be in?" Quattro asked skeptically out in the hallway.

"Magician said your room is on the left, and Trey's is on the right," Iris replied in a confident tone. "Your brother's room is on the other side of the hall to Star's room, unless he'll be watching over her tonight like Magician's friend believes."

"Whoever Iris is talking about must be real, brother," Trey stated. "Look at all these photos. These duel monsters are probably who she's talking to. I remember Star talking about how duel spirits can only be seen by certain people."

"That's right! Magician also says he sent the Mirror Spirits to get your pajamas while you were gone," Iris added.

"WHAT?!" Quattro yelped. "My room's private! How'd a duel spirit get in there?!"

Iris laughed, probably when she heard the spirits' reply. "They got in through your mirrors, of course. They aren't called Mirror Spirits for nothing!"

"Fair enough," Trey replied. "Though I guess we can't help but feel paranoid after hearing that."

"You don't really need to. They're all usually in this place called the Shadow Realm if they aren't looking after the house. They only send the Mirror Spirits outside whenever... um... neck-a-sea-ry?"

Trey chuckled. "I think you're trying to say whenever _necessary._ It basically means whenever they need to."

I heard Quattro yawning. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to hit the hay. We've had a pretty long day if you know what I'm talking about."

"Point taken," Trey agreed. "You should probably get some rest, too, Iris. After all, you're younger than all of us."

I heard a small huff in the hallway, which probably indicated a pout. "You sound like Alito and Dumon!" Iris retaliated. "Not you too, Magician!... Fine, I'll do it. But why do you keep calling them Christopher, Thomas, and Michael like that?"

"That's actually our real names," Trey explained. "It's a long story about why. Perhaps for another time. Goodnight, Iris."

"Goodnight," the Barian child replied reluctantly.

I smiled at overhearing their little conversation. My brothers sounding like Alito and Dumon? After seeing Dumon myself, and through Star's eyes, I can see where that parallel could be drawn.

Soon after the talking in the hallway had ended, I myself began to grow drowsy. As tempting as going to bed sounded at that moment, I didn't dare leave my soulmate. Stopping for a second, I laid down on the bed, facing Star as I decided to close my eyes for a little while.

* * *

My eyes snapped open, finding myself tucked into Star's bed in the middle of the night. Near the door of the bedroom, my shoes stood beside Star's boots, with our coats hung side-by-side. I must've fallen asleep, and someone helped me under the covers. But who?

No one was in sight as I looked around the room. It must've been Yin, or at least one of the Arcana Forces.

A small moan beside me caught my attention. I turned my head to see a pair of hazy, tanzanite-colored orbs blinking open, staring back at me. Star must've woken up while I was looking around.

"Something wrong...Chris...?" Star asked slowly. She wasn't entirely coherent at the moment, I could tell. Her drowsy eyes, gleaming in the low light, showed worry.

"No, nothing is wrong, Star," I whispered. "It's late. You should go back to sleep."

Star nodded slowly, letting her eyelids fall over her half-open orbs. I relaxed back into the bed, smiling at how adorable she was when she acted like this. The black fringe that framed her diamond-shaped face fell sideways, exposing the scar that it so easily hid by day. Despite myself, I wrapped my arm around the Phantom's skinny frame, pulling her in. I felt her cold, streaked skin grasping for heat despite the warmth of the bed. I recalled how Star explained that she'd always been cold ever since her hard years began; her usual temperature went as out of control as her life at the time.

Even in her dozing state, Star seemed to reach out for me as I pulled her close. Her rod-like arms wrapped loosely around me, with her head nestled into my chest. A strange flutter rose in my chest as I felt her nuzzling against me. But, as I gently began to run my fingers through the silky black veil, I couldn't help but smile as I softly kissed the top of her head. My eyes began to droop once more, but it was different this time. Laying right here, in the silence of night with Star safely in my arms, I didn't feel the need to fight the gentle pull of sleep. On the contrary, I simply let the both of us drift into unconsciousness.


	21. Until it Did

(Star) We were all standing on top of a building with a perfect view of what was happening down below. When we got a message for everyone to meet in the courtyard where Yuma first met Astral earlier this morning, we were all in a hurry to get there. It said that Yuma and Astral would have one last duel before the latter returned to his home-world, sending Yuma's parents home in the process. I had called Lotus and Hart to also come, since they both deserved to watch the duel along with Iris; plus, Chris told me Lotus enjoyed being with the two little ones. The three of them weren't far from the Numbers Club on the ground. I even brought Shadow along for the duel, so as not to risk her getting out with the still war-torn city; she was down with Iris. I personally wasn't just standing on the building for a bird's eye view; a lot of Light-attribute monsters were in both Yuma and Astral's decks, and I didn't want a relapse of getting caught in the crossfire.

"Quattro, Trey, we should feel privileged that we get to witness this match," Chris reminded his brothers. "But yet, something about this duel gives me pause. But I do not know why."

"No need to worry about that," Quattro smirked, "since you and Ghost Girl are lovebirds now."

"Don't even go there, Puppet Master," I muttered with a hiss. Ever since Quattro found us asleep in the same bed this morning, he's been teasing us about it with every chance he had. Especially with his older brother insisting I call him by his real name.

Chris and I noticed that Yuma and Astral were very tense and determined, with Tori mainly feeling worried. I could sense that Yuma and Astral were partially blocking their thoughts about why they were acting as such. As a way of helping to cope with the distance from the duel, I was currently trying to help Chris with his newly-acquired abilities; namely, mind-reading.

 _Try starting with Tori,_ I suggested. _She's fairly easy to read. She isn't partially blocking her mind like Yuma and Astral at the moment._

 _I can detect some sort of sound,_ he replied. _Is that normal?_

 _As far as I know, yes. You need to concentrate on the sounds coming from Tori's mind. Those sounds are frequencies that the brain emits; mind-readers are naturally able to hear them. See if you can make words out of those sounds as you concentrate on Tori._

 _"They just think it's fun and games,"_ Chris finally repeated from Tori's thoughts. _"They have no idea what's at stake."_

I nodded in approval as Yuma and Astral prepared their D-pads, and we got ready to spectate. _Good work, Chris; you got it on the first try. She's only able to let out that little bit past the shock in her mind. We'll probably be able to see all of it in due time._

Yuma had first draw, summoning Gogogo Golem. His turn wasn't exactly long, since he just set three facedowns and ended his turn.

 _Curious,_ Astral thought. _Why would he summon Gogogo Golem in Attack Mode when it is better at defense?_ He drew and activated the spell Parallel Unit to copy Yuma's monster onto his own field. He then used the spell Solid Overlay to substitute for a monster to Xyz summon, which he did to bring out Utopia. He activated Double Rank-Up Magic Utopia Force to use Utopia's OLUs and summon rank 5 Utopia Ray Victory and rank 6 Utopia Beyond. He used Beyond's ability to reduce Golem's atk to zero before Yuma used his Guardraw trap to switch it to Defense Mode, also drawing a card.

"When Gogogo Golem's in Defense Mode, Yuma can survive two attacks without taking any damage at all," Trey recalled.

"I gotta hand it to him; that was pretty slick," Quattro complimented.

"Perhaps," Chris partially agreed, "but I doubt it will work."

I nodded. "Yuma's up against a triple assault from his own ace. Number 39 isn't called Utopia for nothing. His name means perfection itself; and with Utopia's history of saving Yuma and Astral in their darkest duels, to say the monster lives to his name is an understatement."

Astral had Victory attack the Golem, using its OLU to negate the opposing monster's effects, as well as leave Yuma unable to use his facedowns in the fight. After the battle, Yuma used his Guard Go trap to resurrect his monster and bring out lvl 6 Dododo Warrior and lvl 4 Gagaga Magician. Astral was mildly impressed by how Yuma tripled his defense, but Utopia and Beyond quickly took out Gagaga and Dododo. He used Rank-Up Magic Dark Force to swap out Utopia for Utopia Ray V and rank 6 Number 25: Force Focus. He then used Grave Chaos to summon Utopia Ray, since the original was in the Graveyard. He even used Beyond's ability to use its OLU to banish Force Focus and bring back the original Utopia, as well as give him 1250 LP, raising it to 5250. "Do you still hold the absurd notion that you can win, Yuma?"

"This doesn't look like a fair fight," Trey frowned.

"That's the understatement of the year," Quattro scoffed.

"For once, we agree," I stated. I looked towards Tori again, able to see the whole memory of what Yuma told her.

 _"Astral's going to destroy Barian world?"_ Tori asked.

 _"_ _That's right,"_ Yuma confirmed. _"And I'm the only one who can stop him; by winning our duel. Everybody loves Astral, so I don't want them to know the truth. So let's just keep this secret between you and me. I don't want to tarnish their memories. It's not like he's gonna erase theirs; only mine."_

Mine and Chris' eyes widened at hearing that. _That's what's happening: Astral's going to erase Yuma's memory if he loses this duel,_ he realized.

 _The nerve!_ I mentally exclaimed. _Even after knowing that the Barians aren't evil, Astral has the audacity to still wish to destroy it?! Numeron and Hakumei wouldn't let that happen if their existence depended on it!_

Astral told Utopia to attack Gogogo Golem, then had Utopia Ray do the same thing after the Golem's ability saved it. Utopia Ray V attacked directly, leaving Yuma with only 1400 LP.

"Yuma's taking a beating!" Trey gasped.

Quattro nodded. "I know. And it doesn't look like Astral cares."

I disagreed with Quattro there. Astral did care; he was extremely worried about Yuma. But he was subconsciously hiding it behind a mask of determination to fulfill his mission. He activated the spell Xyz Treasure to draw five cards, placing three facedown to end his turn.

"Astral's unstoppable," Trey continued to fret. "Not only does he have five Utopias, he just replenished his entire hand, too."

"It's like watching a lion play with his next appetizer," Quattro added.

"None of this surprises me," Chris commented honestly. "Despite Yuma's growth as a duelist, he is still outclassed and outmatched."

I agreed. "Not only is he dueling an alien whose age is probably a few millenia, but this particular alien has practically lived with Yuma ever since he first appeared. Astral knows all of Yuma's tricks and battle styles, partially because he taught them to him." I looked up at my soulmate. "It's almost like when you were dueling your own student."

 _If they only knew the truth,_ Tori thought down below.

"Yuma, even with your limited intellect, it must be clear that it is pointless to continue," Astral chided.

Yuma slowly stood up, - surprisingly to all of us - laughing. "Why would I give up? This is, like, the best duel ever! Whenever I played any of the Utopias, I could only see them from behind, so I never knew what they looked like face-to-face. And they're cooler and more intimidating than I ever imagined! This is so awesome! I knew I'd get my chance to see all five Utopias if I just hung in there! And that's why I'll never give up. Hope you're ready for me, because I'm feeling the flow!" he exclaimed before he drew his card.

 _Yuma, if you fail to conquer this challenge, there is no hope for your future,_ Astral thought coldly. _I'll make sure of that._

Yuma activated Xyz Treasure to also draw five cards. He summoned lvl 4 Gagaga Mancer, using its effect to bring back Gagaga Magician. Contrary to Astral's assumption of Yuma overlaying the two, Yuma actually used the trap Gagagamirage to duplicate both his monsters. He overlaid two Gagaga Mancers to Xyz summon rank 4 Gagaga Cowboy, and two Gagaga Magicians to Xyz summon rank 4 Gagaga Samurai.

 _Alright, you two,_ I told the duel monsters, _your duelist's memories and a world of innocent ones are depending on you. Show this Astral being just how far the East is from the West._

 _ **No problem there, little lady,**_ Cowboy replied in a Western accent.

 _ **We'll do our best for the sake of the innocent,**_ Samurai agreed cordially.

Yuma used Samurai's effect, using his OLU to allow both monsters to attack twice. Cowboy also used his OLU to gain 1000 atk, raising it to 2500, while each of Astral's monsters lost 500 atk. Astral was already prepared for that, since Utopia Beyond's ability made the Utopia family immune to Yuma's monsters. Yuma was able to use Gagaga Mancer's ability from the Graveyard, banishing it to raise Cowboy's atk to 3000. With that, Yuma was able to have Cowboy destroy Utopia Ray and Utopia Ray V, lowering Astral's LP to 4350.

Trey smiled in relief. "Yuma managed to destroy two Numbers."

"I will admit, that is quite impressive," Chris mused. "Since Utopia Ray and Utopia Ray V lost their special abilities, they could be destroyed even by monsters that weren't Numbers."

"Yuma just has to find a way to get past the other three Utopias, and Astral will be wide open," I added.

"Not too shabby," Quattro concurred. "But let's see if he can keep up the momentum."

Yuma played the spell Gagaga Mirror Slash to turn Samurai into Utopia Beyond, which won't only be immortal, but the original one's atk would be dealt as damage to Astral once it's destroyed. Astral's Utopia Beyond was easily destroyed, dealing him 3000 damage, lowering his LP to 1350. Yuma could also attack with Samurai again, transforming him into Utopia Ray Victory. Astral activated the spell Heat and Heal to gain the original Utopia's atk as LP, raising it to 2850; the spell became Utopia's OLU afterward. Despite Astral's Utopia Ray Victory being destroyed, his LP only dropped to 1050, so he was still in the duel.

"I now realize how careless I've been," Astral stated as he got up. "I should've paid more attention to your earlier words. 'See all five.' You clearly verbalized that you knew I'd summon all five Utopias. That is why you had a strategy ready to counteract them."

Yuma nodded. "Yeah, that was the plan. It was taking forever to build the right deck; my brain hurt, but then it hit me. In all our duels together, you always told me to figure out what my opponent's thinking so that I'd have a strategy to fight back. So that's what I did, and maybe - just maybe - if I can understand what you're thinking, I can find a way to change your mind so that you'll abandon your mission. My odds might be a million to one - it could be a bazillion-trillion-shabillion to one. But that doesn't matter to me; what does matter is that as long as there's a slim chance that you'll see things my way, then I'm going to take those odds. Because I'm not giving up, and I'm not giving up on you!" He set three facedowns to end his turn letting Cowboy's atk return to normal.

Astral smiled secretly before recovering his cold expression. "You expect me to change my mind? How foolish. I will never allow you to walk away victorious, Yuma. For I will defend Astral world!"

"Defend Astral world?" Quattro echoed. "Any clue what he's talking about?"

"Beats me," shrugged Trey, "something's up."

"And I think we know what," Chris spoke up. "This is no friendly duel. If it's true that Astral is still battling for the survival of his homeworld, he intends to destroy Barian world."

"Along with all the soldiers that live there," I added. "Astral doesn't understand the Barians the way humans and Phantoms do. Astral beings strove to become stronger by getting rid of Barian's Chaos energy, and all emotion along with it. The Barians were human themselves at some point, and they've all seen the worst in others, including themselves. Overall, Astral wants to eradicate a world of people that he knows full-well isn't evil."

"No way!" Trey cried. "Yuma will not let Astral do that."

"That's precisely why Yuma is dueling Astral," Chris explained. "I can't imagine the emotional toll it's taking on him."

Astral drew and had Utopia attack Cowboy; Yuma used Half Unbreak to protect himself and his monster. But Astral used his Absolute Buster trap to negate the trap card, destroying Cowboy and dropping Yuma's LP to 900. Astral then set three facedowns, ending his turn.

 _Utopia,_ Yuma thought as he struggled to his feet, _you were the very first Xyz monster I summoned. I'll never forget that day because it was the moment that changed my life forever. When things got rough, you were there to pull me out of the fire. I always knew I'd have a shot to win as long as you were by my side. But now you're not by my side; I have to fight you. I have to defeat you and Astral. It just feels all kinds of wrong. But I've got no choice but to keep dueling._

Yuma drew and activated the spell Gagaga Revenge to resurrect Gagaga Cowboy, using him to attack Utopia.

Trey gasped. "The stress must've gotten to Yuma, because this attack is nuts!"

"No," I declined, scanning Yuma's mind. "He's planning something; I can see it."

Astral knew it, too, and used Utopia's OLU to stop the attack. Yuma figured that would happen, and used the trap Light Wing Bumper to negate Utopia's abilities and subtract 800 atk, lowering it to 1700. Yuma then had Gagaga Samurai attack, destroying Utopia and lowering Astral's LP to 850.

"That was impressive," Astral commended. "Truly. Only a courageous fool would launch such a self-destructive maneuver." He smiled slightly. "But I expected nothing less."

Yuma grinned. "Man, I've never had a duel this fun in the longest time! I just wish that's all we were dueling for." He recalled how Astral was planning to destroy Barian world with the Numeron Code. "It ain't fair, Astral. It's like every single time I duel, the fate of the galaxy is at stake. And look what it cost me: I had to say goodbye to Shark, Kite, some of my closest friends! I was never gonna pick up my deck again until you said your dumb mission wasn't over and dragged me into this duel! Why do I always have to duel with something on the line?!"

Astral pondered for a moment. "Was this not the only way I could force you to duel again? Yuma, you have always maintained that all problems can be solved through dueling, so let me see you try!" He activated Rank-Down Magic Utopia Fall to Xyz de-evolve Utopia into rank 1 Number 39: Utopia Roots, before Yuma set a facedown to end his turn.

Astral drew and activated the spell Number Fortification to raise Roots' atk by 1500 to 2000, along with using two Shark Drake and Prime Photon as OLUs. _Yuma, these monsters must remind you of your duels against Shark and Kite. Of how your formidable enemies became your irreplaceable friends. I cannot help but to conclude that as your duels became more intense and infinitely dangerous, you were no longer dueling to duel, you were dueling to survive. In the process, you have lost something that you cannot -_ must _not - live without. I hope this duel reminds you what that is._ He had Roots attack Gagaga Cowboy, but Yuma switched Samurai to Defense Mode so that he'd be the target instead. Astral used the trap Rank Revolution to negate the effects of all Xyz monsters that are higher in rank than Utopia Roots, allowing his monster to return to attacking Cowboy, destroying the monster and lowering Yuma's LP to 400. He then used the trap Overlay Accel to let Roots attack again at the cost of an OLU. Samurai was soon destroyed, bringing Yuma's attack points to 300 as his turn ended. "I hoped to remind you of what you have lost, but the way you are dueling; it was not meant to be."

 _What I lost?_ Yuma echoed as he was tossed back. _What did I lose?_ He dug into his memories in hopes of finding it after falling far below the surface. _"You know what, Astral? I'm really glad I started dueling, because when I'm dueling, I don't care that I was late for school or that I flunked today's math test - but, uh... don't tell Kari and Grandma. I can forget my problems and just have fun. That's what I love about it most... Hey Astral, what are you gonna do after you get all the Numbers?"_

 _"I will fulfill my mission, and then return to Astral world,"_ Astral replied simply.

 _"_ _I know; I get that. But I mean_ after _that."_

 _"After? I have not yet considered it."_

 _"You haven't thought about your future? The future is the best part! That's where you can do anything you want, and anything can happen. But I know you're leaving, so you won't be here with me to see it."_

 _"Sadly, I will not."_

 _"Hey! I bet you're thinking that I'm gonna break down and cry when you go away! You'll see, when you leave, my eyes are gonna be bone-dry! But before that, we'll have one last duel, where I'll beat you so bad that_ you'll _be the one who's crying while I laugh all the way home."_

"Come on, Yuma, you've gotten out of worse than this!" Trey called down.

"I don't think so," Quattro countered. "Face it. When it's over, it's _over_."

Astral activated Overlay Accel's effect, using an OLU to attack again while considering it "fun." Though he put an emphasis on the word like he was dropping a hint.

 _Fun; that's what I've been missing,_ Yuma realized. _I've been shedding so many tears that I forgot that dueling is supposed to be fun. That's what I've lost: I forgot to have fun. Thanks for the reminder, Astral._ Yuma activated the trap Danger Draw to draw a card, since Utopia Roots' atk was greater than Yuma's LP; if he drew a trap, he can stop the attack and activate said trap. Right when he got ready to draw, the aura I recall sensing on each Zexal Morph began to blaze from Yuma's soul; all of us could feel it. Yuma managed to pull off a Shining Draw all by himself, and he drew and activated the trap Halfway to Forever, letting him use his fallen Gagaga Xyz monsters to Xyz summon rank 0 Future Number 0: Utopic Future.

"Yuma summoned his own Number," Trey breathed.

"And an impressive-looking one at that," I added.

Yuma drew and had Future attack Utopia Roots, despite having no atk. Astral figured this to be another trick, so he had Roots use its effect, giving Future its remaining OLU in expense of its atk lowering to 300. Yuma revealed Utopic Future couldn't be destroyed in battle, and all battle damage to Yuma is negated. Plus, he could control Utopia Roots until the end of the turn. After the attack, Roots vanished from Astral's field and reappeared on Yuma's. Yuma had Roots attack directly, lowering Astral's LP to 550. He then set a facedown to call it a turn.

Astral began to glow as much as Yuma did with his Shining Draw as he chanted, "A master duelist can create his own destiny and will his exact card into existence. Go, _Cosmic Shining Draw!_ " Astral used Hyper Rank-Up Magic Ultimate Force, letting him Hyper Xyz evolve Utopia Roots to rank 10 Number 99: Utopic Dragon. It revived Utopia Beyond from the Graveyard before being ordered to attack Utopic Future. Yuma was planning on using that to control Utopic Dragon, but Astral used an OLU to prevent Utopic Dragon's destruction and destroy all other monsters on the field in a stormy gale. Yuma managed to use one of Utopic Future's OLUs to keep it from being destroyed. Utopia Beyond was destroyed, but Yuma was about to take damage equal to its atk.

"Utopia Beyond has 3000 atk!" Trey yelled over the wind. "This is gonna wipe Yuma out!" Yuma was blasted backwards, LP at zero, but only for a brief moment. He used Utopic Future's ability, using its final OLU to give back Yuma's LP as Astral's turn ended.

Yuma drew and had Utopic Future attack Utopic Dragon, gaining control of the monster. Astral used one of the dragon's OLUs to stop that move and destroy Utopic Future, though Yuma used Future's remaining OLU to prevent that. Yuma then activated the trap Hi-Five the Sky to negate Utopic Future's abilities in exchange for a second attack. Next, he played the trap Memories of Courage to give Future 500 atk for every Number in the combined Graveyards: eight Numbers that made for 4000 atk. It also prevented Future from being destroyed despite both monsters having the same atk, so only Utopic Dragon was destroyed. Since a monster was destroyed and no damage was dealt, Yuma was able to attack again. _This is it. If my next attack succeeds, I win._ Yuma had Utopic Future attack directly, but was stopped by Astral's Door of Destiny trap, which would deal 500 damage for every Number that Astral banishes from the Graveyard at the end of Yuma's turn. Through Yuma's mind, I could see the haunting gate that has plagued Yuma's dreams ever since the day before he first saw Astral.

 _ **Whoever can open this door will gain a great, new power,**_ I heard the Door speak. _ **But know that with such a reward comes great risk: you would lose that which is most valuable to you.**_

I could hear Yuma's mind in conflict about the fact that he'll lose Astral - who he considers most valuable to him. Astral reminded him that it won't happen, and he'll live on in Yuma's heart even after he leaves. Yuma finally came to his decision and activated Double or Nothing, doubling Future's atk to 8000 and letting it attack again. I could see Yuma's key proudly emblazoned on his monster's armor as Future attacked. _I'll never forget you, Astral. You made me cry, you made me laugh, you made me the best that I could be, and I loved every moment of it. And now, our future's waiting for us. A future without you._ Near crying, Yuma odered Utopic Future to attack with Rising Sun Future Slash, sending Astral flying as his LP hit zero. The chains of the Door broke as it exploded open, Yuma winning the duel.

Yuma walked over and helped Astral back to his feet. They were looking at each other like the best friends they were. A bright blue light glowed above the duel: the Numeron Code. Numeron and Hakumei were contentedly together by the mystical card. As he was lifted towards the Code, I could see that Astral was going to use it as a means of bringing Kite and the Barian emperors back from the Shadow Realm. Everyone was thinking the same thing: _Goodbye Astral; we will miss you._

I even heard one last thing from Astral as he left: _My final observation: even galaxies apart, friendship is forever._

Yin came out of her card, roaring to her parents as the dragons roared back. In the midst of a blazing light, a portal of Shadow mist opened up. The Mythyrian Numbers, along with the original Photon Dragon and Number 8: Heraldic King Genome Heritage, descended from the light, their unconscious duelists in tow - with the exception of Vetrix, who was awake. An orb of light also came out as I saw an image of the Barian soldiers walking on a world of Astral blue; that must've meant Eliphas was planning on bringing the soldiers to Astral world.

I and the brothers teleported down almost immediately after the Mythyrians touched the ground. Hart rushed over to where Photon and Jinlon laid their duelists not far from each other on the ground. Iris - still with Shadow - went to where Shark and Rio were laid down by Crystal and Abyss. Dumon was safely handed over to Cathy from Pegasus' back - the resemblance between those two is striking. Once the four of us found our way down, Quattro joined in heading to the twins. Yuma and Tori went to Girag, who had Ponta along with him; Lionheart brought Alito to Nistro and Dextra. Genome let Vetrix slide down onto the ground, already standing. Finally, Battle Ox and the rest of the Numbers Club helped Vector down.

Once the four of us found our way down, the unconscious boys and girl - and raccoon - were starting to wake up. Quattro went over to the twins along with Bronk to help them both stand. Trey went over to Yuma to help him and Tori with Girag. Chris went to help Mizar and Kite as I went to Dumon and Cathy. Orbital was fixed, back online, and more than ready to see Lillybot again. Though Kite was glad to have Hart hugging the two blondes, Mizar wasn't so pleased with the fact that he was being near-strangled. Nistro and Alito were acting as goofy as ever with Dextra between them, shaking her head with a smile. Dumon was on his feet, somewhat leaning on Cathy with his arm over her shoulders, but he was glad that they were all safe and alive. I could practically _see_ the sparks flying from Shark as Rio hid behind Quattro in an attempt at staying away from Shadow, who was still being held by a very confused Iris. Bronk seemed heartbroken at how Rio chose Quattro over him, but he shrugged it off, knowing it was mainly a schoolboy crush.

After a little while, an Overlay Network opened, with two people casually walking out. I saw two adults that I clearly recalled seeing in a picture in Yuma's room: Kazuma and Mira Tsukumo; Yuma and Kari's parents.

"Better late than never. Long time no see, Yuma," Kazuma grinned as Yuma stared, awestruck. "What? Surprised your mother and I haven't changed a bit since we went to Astral world?"

"We're so proud of you and your friends, Yuma," Mira added with a soft smile. "You made us both happy to have a son like you."

Kazuma laughed. "Now, come on Yuma, and give your old man a good, Tsukumo-style 'welcome back.'"

Yuma, tears in his eyes, ran over to his parents and threw his arms around them. I could sense how upset he was when they disappeared, and happy that they were home. The parents only hugged the boy in return, knowing that they owed it to Yuma for being gone five years.

"You've managed to save a lot of people, Star," Vetrix stated as he came up to me. "All the Barians, Kite, and myself. You even saved all who were absorbed by that Barian Pipe."

"We're all grateful for what you've done for us," Dumon added. "You kept your promise."

"Kite!" I heard Dr. Faker as he drove to the courtyard. He came out and ran to his sons. "It's a miracle that you're safe, Kite. That medical transport clearly came through."

Kite smirked at his father while Mizar was holding him steady. "I suppose so, if you could consider the Shadow Realm as such."

I crossed my arms. "Be glad that I saved your life, Kite. You'd be dead on the moon if I didn't."

"Mom! Dad!" Kari rode in on her motorcycle. "You're home! Where on Earth have you been these past five years?!"

"More like where _off_ the Earth have we been," Kazuma corrected. "We can give you the details when we get home to Grandma. But I doubt you'd be able to make a believable news article about it."

"You can just be glad that we're home, Kari," Mira added, hugging her daughter, "safe and sound."

"And speaking of which," Kazuma looked over at Chris, Kite, and me. "I'm pretty sure I know you three. I know Star, since she helped Byron and me with keeping the three worlds apart. I believe I recall Byron's eldest son from five years ago. And the blonde boy with the bot must be Dr. Faker's oldest son."

"Wow, three in a row," I mused in slight surprise.

"Orbital, Orbital," Lillybot's voice repeated as she went to the other robot. "Lillybot is glad you are safe. But don't scare Lillybot like that again."

"I-I'll try my hardest not t-t-to, my Lillybot," Orbital replied tenderly, clasping Lilly's servos.

"Hey! Since Kite and Mizar are so alike, why not have Mizar as a new brother?" Hart suggested.

"You mean... adopting Mizar?" Kite asked.

Faker hummed. "I don't see why not. You both have similar decks, and even look and act the same. But would Mizar like it?"

Mizar contemplated for a few seconds. "I suppose having a family again wouldn't be the worst idea," he replied, looking down.

Dumon chuckled. "That would mean 'yes,' since I know him so well."

 _ **You remind me so much of my master,**_ Sky Pegasus told Cathy. _ **I am sure you will be a fine sister to him.**_

"You can count on me," Cathy replied proudly.

"I'm sure Iris would make for a good little sister to us," Shark added as I got Shadow onto my shoulder.

"Though Marin doesn't seem to like Shadow very much," the little girl moped.

"I'm sorry, sweety," Rio apologized. "I just don't really like cats."

"And cats apparently don't like me," Quattro added.

"Boy, Yuma was right about Nistro and me being the same," Alito grinned.

"Oh yeah, he's a kid after my own heart!" Nistro laughed.

In Girag's arms, Ponta pointed his tail up to the Duel Sanctuary. _**Master Kiraku and I can go up to that place on the mountain. That's where we lived so long ago.**_

"I'm sure Master Roku and Kaze would definitely welcome you both," Tori smiled, petting the raccoon.

I smiled as I watched everyone so happy together. The Barians were all glad to have survived Don Thousand, as was everyone else. They all began to realize how alike they all were. Chris came up to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as the duel spirits - besides Ponta - returned to the Shadow Realm. Just by looking at the whole scene, I knew everything we've worked for has finally paid off.


	22. Now, We Are Home

I can't believe it's already been two weeks since everyone was brought back. It seems like everything has gone back to normal. Well, as normal as it can get now that the former Barian emperors have been added on to the crew. Despite Astral being gone, having everyone else home almost makes up for that. Kazuma and Mira were planning on going adventuring again at some point, but for now, catching up with their family was good enough. After all, we had to cherish this time of peace while it lasted. Life's never boring in Heartland City; I bet you Quick Spells to Counter Traps something else is going to turn up at some point.

Speaking of family, the emperors have been doing just fine in their new homes. Mizar's already proven to be a good adopted brother to Kite and Hart, and son to Dr. Faker. Cathy's family of cats was more than welcoming to Dumon, who Cathy's considered an older brother. Master Roku and Kaze were honored to have Girag and Ponta with them, and have been learning about spirit raccoons ever since. Alito's normally with Girag, but sticks with Nistro and Dextra when they come to visit Heartland. (Cathy and I had to teach them how to leap buildings since they were human now) With help from everyone, we got the old Kastle mansion up to code, and ready for the twins, and Iris, to move back in. Vector, mysterious as always, never told us where he was living - though Alito and Girag suspect he lives in the BARian like they did.

Whenever he had any free time, Chris would come over to my house, and I would teach him how to read Phantasmic, along with what I was taught of my people. Sometimes, he'd even spend the night, and I'd show him the journal that my parents wrote, which still had the picture of our first meeting. Quattro was still a pro duelist on the Duel Circuit, but it was most often held here in Heartland City anyway. He'd still tease us whenever Rio or Shadow wasn't around, though.

After a bit of digging through Lotus' family history, we discovered that her great-grandmother was Sarina. She was the younger sister to my great-grandfather, Sartorius. That meant Lotus and I were actually related, as distant cousins. Chris said that explained the two of us looking alike, which I somewhat agreed to. The Mirror Spirits were overjoyed upon hearing the news that there was a living descendant of their duelist in Heartland City, and soon became part of Lotus' family.

The emperors were soon enrolled into Heartland Academy, too. Mizar and Dumon were both enrolled as third-years in the same class. Alito and Vector were officially enrolled as first-years, along with Anna and Nelson. Girag went as a second-year along with the twins, who usually left Iris with Hart. Trey's also planning to enroll in HLA, which we were all happy for; Trey would likely do very well in school, along with the whole crew. I'm still unable to go there, being a Phantom, but that's okay with me.

When the day came to send Trey to his first day at HLA, Chris and I went to see him off. Everyone but Yuma - who was late again (no surprise) - was at the front gate to welcome him. Mizar had already made amends with Trey and Chris, sharing a respectful nod with the two. Rio was even elected the new Student Council President. After Trey headed off Chris and I were about to head our separate ways, but Yin apparently had other plans.

 _ **You two simply**_ **must** _ **stop torturing yourselves like this,**_ she chided. _ **You can't be apart from each other forever; you both know that. It is as you say: if you love someone, set them free; if they come back, they're yours. You have already been separated for fifteen years. We all think it's about time you come together, and**_ **stay** _ **that way.**_

"I suppose you have a point, Yin," I replied. "But can we be together without being forced apart again?"

"Or being threatened with our lives?" Chris added, remembering when Scritch nearly killed us.

 _ **Of course,**_ Yin nodded, taking one of each of our hands in her translucent talons, clasping them together. The Red String of Fate glowed bright scarlet for a moment around our hands. _ **Every person and spirit in the city knows that a lone Phantom helped save them. Odds are, there won't be any prejudice towards Phantoms again. Besides, Photon told me that the remaining Tenjo family and a few others are researching dimensions. Particularly, the Shadow Realm. Something about it has piqued his interest ever since you created the Shadow Ring, if I recall correctly.**_ That was true; when I created the Shadow Ring around the Barian Pipe, Kite had a small thought of intrigue towards it.

"Come to think of it, we might as well," I concluded. "After all, not many people know about the Shadow Realm itself, let alone what it's like. It's not like I have anything else to do, besides make sure the Mirror Spirits are treating Lotus well."

 _ **That's what I was hoping to hear,**_ Yin approved before she went back to her card.

 _Shall we, Star?_ Chris asked with a kind smile.

I smiled back and nodded as we headed to Heartland Tower.

As we walked down the street, I unconsciously began humming a song that my mother once taught me.

"That's a lovely voice you have, Star," Chris murmured. "Can you sing?"

I looked down at the road in embarrassment. "Well... I can try."

 _Remember, I saw the moon through your eyes,_ Chris thought to me. _I heard your song._

I took a deep breath, looked up ahead, and began.

 _"It started out as a feeling,  
Which then grew into a hope,  
Which then turned into a quiet thought,  
Which then turned into a quiet word.  
And then that word grew louder and louder  
'Til it was a battle cry:  
'I'll come back when you call me;  
No need to say goodbye.'_

 _Just because everything's changing  
Doesn't mean it's never been this way before.  
All you can do is try to know who your friends are  
As you head off to the war._

 _Pick a star on the dark horizon and follow the light  
You'll come back when it's over;  
No need to say goodbye.  
You'll come back when it's over;  
No need to say goodbye..._

 _Now we're back to the beginning;  
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet.  
But just because they can't feel it too  
Doesn't mean that you have to forget._

 _Let your memories grow stronger and stronger,  
'Til they're before your eyes.  
You'll come back when they call you;  
No need to say goodbye.  
You'll come back when they call you;  
No need to say goodbye..."_

"So... you liked it," I realized, feeling his emotions.

"It was beautiful, Star," Chris replied before we entered Heartland Tower. _Just like you._

When we got up to the lab, we saw Kite, Faker, Byron, Hart, Iris, Orbital, Lilly, and their twin botlings. The holographic monitors showed all sorts of planets and cosmic images. The whole group was more than ready to get started.

"Before we begin, there's something I need to speak with Star about," Faker informed, leading me to a computer in another room. "Star, it is high time that you helped in a cold case regarding your family," he told me as he brought up the file. "That was why you were considered dead along with your parents a while back. I found that Heartland had ended the case a while after your family's disappearance, considering the three of you dead. Would you mind updating it to make sure that the information is accurate?"

"Sure," I nodded as I sat down at the computer, reading over the case file.

 __ **It has been reported by local authorities that Marina Saio, age 35, and Tomo Choseki, age 37, along with the infant daughter, Star, age 18 months, have all disappeared from their mansion home in the forest outside Heartland City. There are no clues of a kidnapping detected, and no citizen has given valid evidence, if at all. Authorities are unsure of whether this was a kidnapping or a similar event. By the Mayor's order, all evidence that could be used in locating the missing family must be reported to authorities as soon as possible; which includes pictures, recorded phone calls, and viewings.**

 **4 years have passed since disappearance of Marina Saio, Tomo Choseki, and infant Star Choseki. No evidence has been detected or reported. Authorities remain uncertain of the origins of the family's disappearance. As ordered by Mayor Heartland, this case is to be closed - effective immediately - and the three known members of the Choseki family are to be considered dead.**

My eyes narrowed at the last sentence of the second entry of the file. Heartland decided to cut the case just because my parents and I haven't been seen in four years. Typical. Well, at least that painted a clear picture of what Faker wanted of me. Inserting a new entry into the file, I began to type in an update on the case.

 **15 years have passed since disappearance of Marina Saio, Tomo Choseki, and infant Star Choseki. Star Choseki has been found alive, and now age 16. The family moved away from Heartland City 10 days prior to discovery of disappearance to escape death. Mayor Heartland had been committing genocide against Shadow Roamer, or Phantoms - the race from which the family was descended - for at least ten years. As Mayor Heartland is now deceased, all laws allowing this war crime has been abolished. Marina Saio and Tomo Choseki are revealed to now be deceased, leaving their daughter an orphan. Star Choseki, who has inherited her family's mansion and been considered a citizen of Heartland, states that she only wishes to live peacefully in Heartland City for the rest of her days.**

"Finished," I stated as I entered what I wrote. "That should do it."

"Now this case can be closed with an accurate and valid final entry," Faker approved before leading me back to the others.

Kite and Chris nodded at me as I went back into the room, staying at Chris' side. Kite turned to the robotic family with his digital clipboard, ready to start.

"Orbital, power up your processors and set your servos on high," the blonde ordered. "You and your family have some data to digest."

"Yes sir!" Orbital saluted, Lilly and the kids doing the same after. "Gigakids, get your gears going!"

"We'll work with Byron, sir," Hart said as he and Iris saluted. Byron looked up at them both from his own clipboard.

"All right, then," Kite approved. "Let's dissect some dimensions."

"Starting with the Shadow Realm," Chris finished.

I nodded. "Let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

After a long day of researching the Shadow Realm and other dimensions, Byron allowed Chris to spend the night at my place. I led him down the footpath that led through the forest to my house, which glittered in the sunset from the opaque crystal veined into the structure. Chris looked up at the mansion, in awe of the gleaming blue and violet streaks of light from the colored crystal. He never really saw my house in this kind of light like I did.

I took Chris' hand and led him through the door and into the living room, the moon globes lighting up as I passed them. On one of the cornflower blue couches was my parents' journal, right where I left it. On the shelf above the fireplace was the framed picture that Chris sent me a while back. Alongside it was the vase that held the lavender moonflower and blue hydrangea, frozen in clear crystal while tied together with familiar red hemp-string. Shadow was lying on one of the chairs, napping.

I picked up the journal before the two of us sat on the couch, opening to where we left off as the two of us held it. Chris has since been getting pretty good at reading Phantasmic, and has managed to read some of the entries without much trouble. The entry we were on was written during the days my family and Chris' were best friends, as were we.

"Think you can read the one by my father?" I asked.

"Probably," Chris replied. _Feel free to correct me if I get something wrong._ I nodded as he began to read. " _This morning, we went over to Byron's house to visit. He told us that his younger son, Thomas, was sick with a fever and horrible cough. Foolishly enough, I left Star in the living room as Marina and I went to help my old friend and his son. I sensed several troubled Machine-type duel spirits around Chris' room, but didn't pay them any mind at the moment. It was a challenge in itself to get Thomas to take his medicine; the coughing fits weren't much help. When we finally got little Thomas to do so, and get to sleep, I realized my misdoing of leaving my daughter unattended. However, when we returned to the living room, it turned out that my fears proved groundless. Star and Chris were curled up together on the couch, sleeping. I recalled the troubled spirits around Chris' room, which must've meant he was upset that Byron wasn't spending much time with him, and Star went to help him. Just looking at our adorable children together like that told me that they were likely to be soulmates. The fact that Star would be there for the little boy when my old friend couldn't be was consoling to Byron, as was the fact that their destiny together was... practically predetermined._ "

"Good work, Chris," I commended, smiling up at him. "You may have needed a second with those last couple of words, but you did great."

Chris smiled back in thanks, the look in his eyes softened; something I never saw in Chris before. I also saw something in his eyes that I remembered, from just before he was sent to the Shadow Realm. He gently pulled the journal out of my hand, setting it aside as his other hand went to the back of my neck, preventing me from backing away. I couldn't detect a clear thought in his mind, but the emotion in his eyes had me in a trance. Next thing I knew, something warm and soft was pressing against my lips. My eyes widened as I realized Chris was kissing me.

My own thoughts beginning to dissolve as I closed my eyes, returning the kiss. My hands rested on his chest as his arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me into his lap. The hand he had on my neck began to roam through my hair, twirling it around his fingers. All that both of us could focus on was this very moment. When we both pulled away, Chris still held me close, a serene smile on his face.

"Chris," I breathed. "What was..."

I was stopped when he kissed my forehead and pulled me into his chest. "I told you, Star. I will always love you."

I nodded slowly, still shocked by the kiss. "As will I... Chris." I began to feel sleepy, here in his arms. I felt Chris reclining on the couch as my eyes began to close. I heard one last thought before falling asleep.

 _Sleep well, my Starlight._


	23. AN

And that's the end of the sequel to Last of My Kind. I hope all of you guys enjoyed reading it. Just like last time, please comment, favorite, and/or share this story, and follow me if you wish. I'm hoping that this story gets plenty of reads, readers, and hearts. I already have a few things planned to spin off from this story if any of you guys are interested. See you later~!

And to those of you who don't know, I have begun calling the pair of Star and Chris as Nocturneshipping. Hope you come to like it as much as I do!


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